By Paul Joseph
The Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr. Oliver Aba, has urged the Federal Government to stop paying ransom to bandits and kidnappers, arguing that scarce national resources should be used to address the economic hardship facing millions of Nigerians rather than rewarding criminal groups.
Aba made the call on Wednesday during the 50th/15th Biennial Conference, where he also urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to tackle rising inflation, worsening insecurity and the continued depreciation of the naira.
He said Nigeria’s economic and security challenges were largely the result of failures in governance, stressing that leaders at all levels must make personal sacrifices and demonstrate greater commitment to resolving the country’s problems.
“We know that the root cause of our predicaments is self-inflicted at all levels of governance, and the present Federal Government cannot be fully absolved of our woes,” he said.
“In our hope for a restored nation, leaders at the three levels of governance must be seen to make personal sacrifices and commitments in their collective actions to salvage Nigeria.”
The Methodist Church, however, welcomed the rescue of 46 abducted victims, including schoolchildren, teachers and a principal, who were kidnapped between May and July from three schools in the Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Aba attributed the successful rescue to the combined efforts of security agencies and the prayers of Christians, while commending everyone involved in the operation.
He also mourned the deaths of two teachers, Michael Oladokun and John Ola, as well as five security personnel, including three operatives of the Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) and two members of the joint security forces who lost their lives during the rescue mission.
The church extended its condolences to the bereaved families and praised the fallen security personnel for their bravery and sacrifice.
While encouraging Nigerians to continue praying for peace and security, Aba maintained that prayer must be matched with responsible leadership and effective governance.
“It is good to pray through Jesus Christ to God, but leaders must perform their duties creditably. Governments must stop paying ransom to kidnappers,” he said.
The Methodist Church also urged the Federal Government to adopt more proactive measures to combat banditry, kidnapping and other forms of violent crime across the country.
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