The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has warned that the worsening insecurity and collapsing voter turnout are twin crises threatening the nation’s democracy.
The CBCN therefore tasked the Federal Government to as a matter of urgent importance, halt the worsening insecurity and also guarantee credible elections in 2027.
President of the CBCN, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, who stated the position of the Conference at the 2026 First Plenary Meeting in Abuja, described the country’s security situation as deeply troubling, stressing that the series of kidnappings and mass killings across several states have become unacceptable.
Ugorji noted that the Nigeria has continued bleed endlessly just as citizens experience rising security challenges and continue to hear sad tales of senseless massacres, mass burials, endless tears and grief.
While condemning the reported killings in Woro and Nuku communities of Kwara State, the CBCN noted that gunmen were exploiting gaps in the nation’s security architecture and striking communities with little resistance.
In the same vein, the CBCN said that while it acknowledged steps taken by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, including the declaration of a national security emergency, it however said the such response remains largely reactive.
In the words of Ugorji; “In all, the gunmen operate boldly, freely and unchallenged… Yet, they are not arrested through their digital footprints.
“To effectively tackle insecurity, government must go beyond declaring a national emergency on security and reactive interventions to invest more in modern technological equipment for surveillance,” he said.
The CBCN particularly warned that delays in prosecuting suspects, pardoning and or reintegrating repentant insurgents could erode public confidence.
“Delaying the prosecution of arrested terrorists or pardoning and reintegrating perceived repentant Boko Haram members through the Operation Safe Corridor gives the impression of complicity on the side of government,”
The CBCN specifically raised red flag over what it described as the “declining voter turnout” and therefore called for urgent electoral reforms ahead of 2027, stressing that the decline in voter turnout, says a lot about citizens trust in the electoral process, thus called to question the legitimacy of elected officials in a democratic dispensation.
The conference also urged the National Assembly to as a matter of importance, review the recently amended Electoral Act and make real-time electronic transmission of results mandatory, saying; “this is the will of the people and has to be respected”.
Earlier in his homily at the opening Mass, the Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Bishop Kaigama cautioned political and religious leaders against the misuse of authority and expressed the hope that the next 2027 general elections would reflect the true will of Nigerians.
He said; “We fervently hope that the 2027 elections will be different and every single vote will count, and the genuine will of the people, respected”.
