The Catholic Mission in Nigeria this Tuesday embarked on nationwide prayer and peaceful protests against the incessant killings by Fulani herdsmen across the country especially in the Middle Belt region.

Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Alfred Adewale Martins told the media on Tuesday that the protests were in line with the directive from the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).

The Archbishop said its members had been urged to partake in the exercise in supplication to God, adding that the protest was also in solidarity with those killed in Benue State, including two Catholic priests who were brutally murdered during an early morning mass.

The peaceful protests also coincided with the burial of the 17 church members and the two priests killed during a mass in Benue State

Catholics in Edo State  joined other members across the country in the peaceful protests. So also did their counterparts in Oyo, Benue, Lagos, Bayelsa, Kaduna, Adamawa and Kwara States. Congregation members in some cities marched through the streets with placards calling for a halt to the

In Osun State, members marched from our Lady of Fatima Catholic Hospital, Jaleyemi, Osogbo,  to the House of Assembly to register their displeasure over the killings.

The Vicar General, Catholic Diocese of Osogbo, Very Reverend Father Thaddeus Olaolu Ajayi told journalists that Nigerians needed to embrace peace and love rather than engage in killings.

He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to do everything in his capacity as president  to ensure that the lives of Nigerians were safe, calling on perpetrators of such evil acts to desist so as not to incur the wrath of God.

Catholics in Niger State converged at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Minna, the state capital. Reverend Father Gabriel Nelson Onuh in his sermon expressed concern over the state of the nation’s security, kidnappings, activities of armed bandits and attacks by Boko Haram insurgents.

While lamenting the rate at which Nigerian youths were dropping out of school across the country,  Onu said Nigerians were living in palpable fear and apprehension.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State Chapter also joined Catholics in solidarity. The Chairman of the Niger State chapter of CAN, Reverend Matthias Echioda stressed the need for national cohesion, calling on leaders to propagate the ideals of unity.