The Archbishop of Abuja Archdiocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan
has called for the arrest of religious clerics who incite violence through
their sermons.
He spoke Tuesday in Abuja during an interview with
journalists on the sideline of a workshop on Preventing Violent Extremism in
Nigeria.
The workshop organized by Club De Madrid in collaboration
with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) focused on; Effective
Narratives and Messaging.
Onaiyekan told journalists that: “in my own opinion there is
enough in the law in Nigeria to curb reckless speaking, if somebody stands up
on his pulpit in church and start inciting his members to go and kill others, He has committed a crime under the Nigerian Law, he should be arrested, which
is not happening.”
He lamented that there was a tendency for security agencies
to be afraid. “They would say if you touch religious leaders there would be
backlash. Let the backlash come for goodness sake, so that we can get out of
all this mess.”
He noted that plenty of work needs to be done to counter the
terrorism narratives at the grass root, adding that Boko Haram did not spring
up and start shooting on the first day.
He said the group organized over some time and the content
of their preaching was identified by many people as not in the right direction
but nobody felt they had the responsibility to engage them.
He said, “We must learn from our past mistake, while we
defend freedom of worship and freedom of speech, there is obviously a limit as
to how far you can carry your freedom.”
He lamented that, “Who is a religious leader in Nigeria, you
can drop your microphone today and tomorrow you become a pastor, if you are a
Muslim, you can become an Imam.”
“In Nigeria, we are free, because of that people claim to be
bishops, Imams and religious leaders, they say whatever they like and they are
not responsible to anybody,” he stated.
By Ronald Mutum
