Anglican Bishop, Ibeabuchi, Slams FG Over Insecurity, Reintegration of Bandits, Borrowings

Boniface Okoro in Umuahia 

The Bishop of Umuahia Diocese, Anglican Communion, Rt. Revd. Geoffrey Obijuru Ibeabuchi, has decried what he described as “ceaseless insecurity” and “Christian genocide” across Nigeria, insisting that government efforts at checking insecurity are “not yielding the required results.”  

Bishop Ibeabuchi made the remarks yesterday while delivering his presidential address at the 3rd Session of the 11th Synod of the Diocese. The Synod, themed ‘Becoming Like Jesus: An Intentional Act’, held at St. Paul’s Church, Uzuakoli Road, Umuahia.  

Commending President Bola Tinubu for efforts to tackle insecurity, the Bishop however stated that attributing escalation of violence to the 2027 elections “is a complete lie and highest level of irresponsibility.” 

“As a Synod we are completely not happy over the ways our military officers are consistently being murdered, communities are being wiped out and our leaders pretend as though all is well,” he said.  

He lamented that President Tinubu “could not get to the location Nigerian Christians were murdered last Palm Sunday but address the wounded and bereaved at Jos Airport,” while a state governor had to address his people “standing inside an armoured tank.”  

“Indeed, Nigeria bleeds and our leaders seem clueless, confused and without solution,” he declared.  

The Bishop said soldiers need more than “social media encouragement.” They need “the right tools for the right engagement including the political will of those in office.”  

He described “Christian genocide across Nigeria, especially in the North and the North-central” as undeniable, dismissing “propaganda of climate change and the herder-farmers clash” as “a complete fallacy.”  

He faulted a “Reverend Father – the Governor of Benue State” for denying the genocide “while his own Bishop is at the helm of affairs leading the fight to spare the lives of innocent Nigerians.”  

“We join the American Government to say enough to this madness,” he added, noting that “some Muslim clerics are declaring amount to be paid to the man who kills another Nigerian for blasphemy against Prophet Mohammed.” He also referenced the killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, saying her killers “are still free and not behind bars.”  

The Synod questioned the federal government’s reintegration of ex-bandits into society.  

“Did the bandits actually repent from their banditry and terrorism? What evidences of repentance can be shown to Nigerians? Who de-radicalised them and through what process?” Ibeabuchi asked.  

He recalled claims that some were “deployed into the Armed Forces to assist in the fight against terrorism under the Buhari-led administration,” then asked: “How come the terrorists now know the routes that our officers are taking, if not from informants within? How are they competent in handling the sophisticated military hardware, if not from those within the military ranks?”  

“We are deeply worried. How can you forgive these agitated killers and reintegrate them into the peaceful community while those displaced, killed, are still living in IDP camps without food and care?”  

He condemned recent reports of terrorists demanding “billions of naira so as to free over 400 Nigerians held captive in Borno State,” saying they may be granted amnesty after “torturing and killing Nigerians.”  “This is completely unacceptable,” he said.  

On the economy, the Bishop described fuel price hikes as “terribly unbearable,” asking why Nigeria suffers when “the war is not taking place in Nigeria or even in West Africa.”  

“Why is it that every opportunity is used to punish and deal with Nigerians? As a nation, why don’t we have reserves? What is the deceit that Port Harcourt and Warri Refineries have started production sometime last year?” he queried.  

He urged the government to license Niger Delta residents to refine crude locally instead of destroying their equipment. “If what they are refining can be used, why not empower them to go ahead and produce? And then the product will be in Nigeria. And then they will pay the necessary taxes to the government,” he said.  

“They are calling what they are doing illegal, killing them, destroying their equipment. It doesn’t make sense.”  

Ibeabuchi warned against “consistent borrowing to fund our national budget,” saying: “We join Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to say to the leadership of Nigeria, you cannot remove subsidy and be borrowing at the same time.”

The Synod said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) “appears as though it has become partisan and compromised,” stressing that “INEC must remain an unbiased umpire in order to attract the trust of Nigerians… They must redeem their image,” he said, citing voter apathy after the “glitches of 2023.”  

On the judiciary, he warned that Nigerians were “becoming tired of a captured judiciary” and may be heading toward “jungle justice.”   

Ahead of the 2027 polls, the Bishop urged members to revalidate their voter status, reject vote buying, and join political parties of their choice.  

“As a Synod, we reject every form of attempts to suppress opposition voices, parties and their leaders,” he said.  

He listed other national concerns including electricity tariffs, food scarcity, unemployment, tax reforms, the “rubber stamp Senate,” defections, and the “unnecessary verdict” on Nnamdi Kanu.  

On Abia State, the Bishop commended Governor Alex Otti’s administration. “Your Excellency, you have our support in all things good, honest, just and rewarding. We are impressed. We can only pray that God will enable you to remain focused and undistracted,” he said.  

The Synod continues at St. Paul’s Church, Umuahia.