Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, has called on the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to put an end to the wave of kidnappings that continues to plague the country and has stated that the authorities “have no excuse” for failing to eradicate this scourge.
In an interview given to ACI Africa following the rescue of a group of schoolchildren who spent nearly two months in captivity, the cardinal warned that the release of the minors cannot hide the fact that hundreds of people remain in the hands of criminal gangs and terrorist groups. Nigeria continues to be one of the countries most affected by kidnappings, a form of violence that repeatedly strikes the civilian population as well as priests, religious communities, and Christian communities.
“The kidnapping should never have happened”
Onaiyekan said the success of the operation must not be taken as a sign that the country’s security crisis has been overcome.
“We can thank God, thank the president and everyone else, but the kidnapping should never have happened if the government had seriously confronted the fight against insecurity. It has no excuse for failing to end kidnappings in Nigeria,” the cardinal declared.
The Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja stressed that the children’s release does not erase the suffering they endured during nearly two months of captivity, nor the pain experienced by their families.
“We all thank God. But their release does not remove the pain of having had so many children held captive for nearly two months,” he said.
“There are still hundreds of people in the hands of terrorists”
The cardinal urged the Nigerian government not to view the rescue as a sign that the situation is under control.
“I pray and hope the government does not think we have done well simply because these children have been freed. We must not forget that there are still other people, perhaps hundreds, in the hands of terrorists who demand all kinds of ransoms,” he noted.
Onaiyekan also questioned why security forces have not dismantled the locations where kidnappers hold their victims.
“From the images I saw of the children, it is clear they did not spend sixty days sleeping in the bush,” he observed.
According to him, criminal groups maintain permanent facilities where they hold hostages until negotiations conclude or a ransom is paid.
“If that is the case, we still do not understand how the government claims it cannot eliminate these criminal elements,” he lamented.
The cardinal added that real improvement will only be evident when Nigerians can travel freely throughout the country without fear of being kidnapped.
Calls for psychological and spiritual care for the freed minors
Onaiyekan also urged the government to provide comprehensive care for the rescued children to help them overcome the after-effects of captivity.
“We hope the government understands that, after sixty days in those circumstances, these children need special attention, both psychological and spiritual, to overcome the trauma to which they have been exposed. Some are only two years old, and if they do not receive proper help, it could affect their future,” he warned.
The role of parents in transmitting the faith
The cardinal’s statements were made during the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Catholic Men’s Organization of Nigeria, an entity he helped establish twenty-five years ago.
Addressing its members, Onaiyekan encouraged fathers to exercise Christian leadership in their homes and to turn their households into true domestic churches.
“The strength of the Church and of society begins in the family. Catholic men must set an example through love, prayer, integrity, and service. Be good fathers in your families. Let your homes be domestic churches where Christ is truly present,” he said.
The cardinal concluded by reminding fathers that their mission is not only to provide material sustenance for the family but also to transmit the faith through example, prayer, and a life consistent with the Gospel.