Former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Eminence John Onaiyekan, has urged the Federal Government to address the insecurity along Abuja/Kaduna road.
Onaiyekan made the call in Abuja on Saturday at a pre-conference briefing with the theme “Action Against Irregular Migration of Nigerians” scheduled for May 7.
According to him, it is sad that Nigerians are now at the mercy of kidnappers who carry out their criminal activities and demand ransom without fear.
“The Abuja/Kaduna road, the government and police have told us several times that they have put up high level security checks and that they have cleared the road but the boys have come up and said that they are still operating on the road.
“It is sad that the kidnappers operate regularly on the highway and demand ransom and not only that, they go to the extend of collecting the ransom,” he explained.
On the irregular migration, Onaiyekan stated that migration was a fundamental right of every human being but must be done in ways that would not violate the laws of any host nations.
According to him, it is a thing of concerned for any government that the youths of the nation engages in irregular migration.
He appealed to the Federal Government to address the hardship presently ravaging the country, which he said has become the cause of illegal migration and human trafficking.
The cleric said that the poverty in the land makes Nigerian youths vulnerable in the hands of smugglers.
He said that addressing the problem of irregular migration in Nigeria and elsewhere around the world would take a communal effort.
“Because we know and see it, we must do something about it. Silence is not an option.”
