“Silence is endorsement”: Catholic Official in Nigeria Decries Government’s Inaction amid Persecution

“If Nigeria cannot protect its citizens, then it is calling on everybody to defend themselves. People are beginning to see the silence of government as an endorsement of what is happening, especially because many of those being killed are Christians,” he said.

Fr. Okonkwo said the widespread attacks on Churches and the killing of Priests and the Religious indicates a disturbing trend aimed at silencing Christianity

He lamented the closure of more than 15 Catholic parishes in Nigeria’s Makurdi Diocese due to worsening insecurity and accused political leaders of indifference.

The Claretian missionary explained that while the violence appears to have religious undertones, it has also become a commercial and political enterprise. 

“When we look at the issue of insecurity as it is spread across Nigeria, it is not only Muslims involved in kidnapping. We have seen cases in the East, West, and South. It has become a business, and that is dangerous,” he said. 

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Fr. Okonkwo noted that politicians’ silence has allowed criminals to use insecurity as a weapon.

“When leaders fail to act, people take advantage of the situation. If they want to victimize Catholics, they do so; if they want to target Christians, they use the same insecurity to justify it. Insecurity has become a weapon in the hands of politicians, and that is why they don’t want to stop it, they have weaponised the killings in Nigeria,” he said.

The Catholic official called on Nigerian leaders to rise above political and religious bias to confront insecurity head-on, saying, “We must wake up and ask our politicians what they are doing. Their silence has become part of the problem.”

Fr. Okonkwo also spoke on the moral decay and corruption that continue to plague Nigerian society despite its strong religious presence.

“Nigeria is often described as a very religious nation because of Church attendance, but if everyone who goes to Church on Sunday lives out the truth they profess, Nigeria would be a better country,” he said.

He said that the problem lies not in the absence of religion but in the lack of commitment to live by faith values. 

“The apostles were only twelve, but they changed the world. Today, we have millions of Christians in Nigeria, but little to show for it because many are not ready to stand by the truth,” the Catholic Priest lamented.

Fr. Okonkwo explained that true religious life should be about witnessing to the truth and living the mission of Christ through service. 

“The life of a consecrated person is a life of witnessing—witnessing to truth, justice, and the mission of Christ. Religious institutes have done much by running schools and hospitals, using them as avenues of evangelization,” he said.

However, he noted that many Christians compromise their faith because of hardship and unemployment. 

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“People are hungry and jobless, so they are tempted to sacrifice truth for survival. Anything that can put food on the table becomes more important than living a life of integrity,” Fr. Okonkwo said. 

He added, “The only thing that can make Nigeria great is when people decide to live by the truth. The truth sets us free, but many Nigerians have compromised it because of poverty.”

He challenged Christian leaders and people of God to practice what they preach, saying, “If Christians truly live out their faith, Nigeria will change; faith must go beyond church attendance. It must reflect in how we lead, work, and serve.”

Abah Anthony John is a Nigerian Catholic journalist with passion for Church communication and media apostolate. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Benue State University, Makurdi in Benue State Nigeria. He has a background in print, electronic and multi-media production.