The Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, has asserted that the spate of criminality in Nigeria is linked to the abuse of illicit drugs.
The Archbishop stated this while delivering a homily during the inauguration of St. Mary’s Catholic Parish, Amakohia-Ubi Owerri West LGA, Imo State.
He observed that a lot of ugly, bizarre things are happening mostly in the Nigerian security sector, which he said linked to excessive consumption of hard drugs by youths.
His words: “It is true that there is a lot of suffering and hardship in the land. It appears that we are suffering more than we suffered during the 30-month Nigeria-Biafra war, which is sadly occasioned by sheer greed by our leaders.
“Today, our youths have taken to excessive consumption of hard drugs and executed all sorts of unimaginable things.
“They pick up guns, rob and kidnap fellow citizens. How can we explain that today, people are senselessly killed as if human life is no longer precious and inalienable?”
The man of God bemoaned the situation where people who are kidnapped are killed even after collecting huge ransoms from their families.
He said that the turn of events is becoming more worrisome, as in some cases, decomposing bodies carelessly dumped by the roadside is now the order of the day.
“Have we not read reports of how human beings who were kidnapped turned out to be barbecued by their captors? Is this not sheer madness?
“How have we degenerated to this sordid and disgraceful level in Nigeria? If these ugly things were not engineered by the consumption of hard drugs, what would be comfortably linked to these acts?
“There is no doubt that the perpetrators of these crimes come from homes and communities. They don’t come from the blues. They are truly not unknown gunmen, as they are often branded,” he said.
The Archbishop equally admonished parents and the nation’s leadership, saying that parents must rise up to their divine calling as true parents of their children.
“Parents must shun all acts of irresponsibility, in the full glare of their children, because they pick them up and act them out as they grow.
“The nation’s leaders must remember at all times that God blessed Nigeria abundantly. God gave us good weather, natural resources and everything we need to survive and prosper.
“How far have we fared with these divine gifts? What we have done with these divine gifts is apologetic. A lot of people now want to flee from our country because of the hardship in the land.
“There is a lack of empathy from our leaders. We need to have sincere recollections and amend our ways. Things must change if we must positively move forward in Nigeria,” the Archbishop advised.
Crime in Nigeria linked to abuse of illicit drugs — Archbishop Ugorji
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