By Desire Emmanuel
Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Reverend Henry Ndukuba, has called for urgent international intervention over what he described as escalating violence and targeted killings of Nigerian citizens, particularly Christians in parts of the North and sections of the South.
He said this while delivering his presidential address at the Standing Committee meeting of the Church of Nigeria, held at St Stephen’s Anglican Church, Osumenyi, in the Diocese of Amichi, Anambra State.
The Primate also painted a sombre portrait of a nation under siege from criminality, banditry and insurgency.
He expressed concern over what he described as a pattern of violence against vulnerable communities, lamenting the “official reluctance in some quarters to acknowledge the scale of the crisis.”
Ndukuba said that when a government appears unable to contain widespread insecurity, appeals for international support become both moral and necessary, urging the global community not to remain indifferent as lives were being lost and communities traumatised.
The Anglican leader in Nigeria referred to high-profile incidents that have shocked the nation, including mass abductions of worshippers in Kaduna State, kidnappings of schoolchildren and teachers in Niger State, and the killing of a cleric following his abduction alongside members of his family.
He said such episodes were not isolated tragedies but part of a broader pattern of insecurity that leaves families and communities devastated.
“Nigeria is bleeding and denial or downplaying of violent incidents only deepens public mistrust and compounds national grief,” Ndukuba said.
While acknowledging statements and gestures from foreign leaders who have publicly recognised Nigeria’s security challenges, he said temporary responses were insufficient in the face of what he described as a sustained humanitarian and security crisis.
He therefore called for coordinated international engagement aimed at saving lives and stabilising affected regions.
He described the violence in the country as part of a wider ideological and territorial agenda, warning that unchecked bloodshed could carry grave moral and historical consequences for the nation.
