Nigerian bishops sound alarm

24 May, 2013 - Nigeria, the world’s seventh most populous nation, “now almost totters on the brink” of disaster, the nation’s bishops have warned. In a statement entitled “To Rescue Nigeria from Collapse,” the bishops said, “What started as a mere clash between law enforcement agencies and members of the Islamic sect commonly labeled Boko Haram, has since spiraled into what can, be best described as a low-intensity war especially in some northern states of the country.” “Taken together with a range of other crises in other parts of the country such as armed robbery, kidnapping, communal clashes, our country now almost totters on the brink,” they said. “Families have been wiped out, communities displaced and now refugees and internally displaced persons roam the Nigerian landscape,” they said. “Everyday, we hear more and more ugly stories of death and destruction in the land. Sadly, the entire apparatus of state security seems totally overwhelmed by the agents of darkness.” Stating that proposals to grant blanket amnesty to the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram are tantamount to “an endorsement of criminality,” the bishops nonetheless said that they support “genuine amnesty … offering pardon to repentant militants and not appeasing criminals and their sponsors to stay calm.