The Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr Oliver Ali Aba, has warned against calls for self-defence as a solution to the country’s worsening insecurity, insisting that the responsibility for protecting lives and property rests squarely with the government.
Aba made the remarks yesterday while responding to questions from journalists after delivering his State of the Nation address at the 41st Council of Lay Presidents, held at the Cathedral of Unity, Wuse in Abuja.
Responding to a question on what advice he would give the government as insecurity worsened and some Nigerians advocated self-defence, the Methodist leader said such an approach was not the ideal solution.
“That’s not the ideal thing. So I want to call on the leadership of our society, called Nigeria, to rise up. Let them have a common vision and a common decision to fight this menace,” Aba said.
According to him, disunity among those in authority is one of the reasons insecurity has continued to thrive.
“They know the house is divided. That is what we are seeing from our side. If all of them join hands together, the issue of insecurity will not be there,” he added.
The prelate expressed concern over what he described as a decline in the government’s response to insecurity, citing the recent abduction of a retired military general.
“Look at the United States of America. Because of one pilot, they bought two helicopters. After picking the young man, the helicopters became not useful any longer. And they didn’t want Iranians to discover the function of those helicopters. What they did was bomb the two helicopters. Because of one person, two helicopters were bombed by Americans. So this is where we see the strength,” he said.
Earlier in his State of the Nation address, Aba expressed deep concern over the combined impact of economic hardship and growing insecurity across the country, describing the situation as painful for millions of Nigerians.
“We are witnesses to the hard effects of the economy and what insecurity has sadly turned our nation into,” he said.
Aba specifically referenced the recent kidnappings of schoolchildren and their teachers in Oyo and Borno states, describing the incidents as a stark reminder of how far the nation has drifted from the aspirations of its people.
“To many of us, one of the latest developments on insecurity, as seen in the kidnapping of schoolchildren and their teachers in Oyo and Borno States of Nigeria, is a far cry from our desires,” he stated.
“The cry of God’s people under the crushing effects of our economy is equally hurting.”
Aba appealed to the federal, state and local governments to heed the cries of Nigerians and take decisive steps to address both insecurity and the worsening economic situation.
