Catholic priest criticises Nigerian governor over growing insecurity

Outspoken Catholic priest, Emmanuel Obimma, has again slammed Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State over growing insecurity in the state.

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Mr Obimma, who is the spiritual director of the Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke, spoke during a prayer march on Thursday, Punch newspaper reported.

The Catholic priest, in December, criticised Mr Soludo for failing to address worsening attacks and killings in the state.

‘No positive results’

Mr Obimma, popularly known as Ebube Muonso, during the prayer march on Thursday, said calls on the governor to fight insecurity in the state have yielded no positive results.

“If you are in Anambra State presently, you don’t need to be told that you need to be alert in the spirit.

“There is no security in Anambra State, and your governor doesn’t want to know. He is not interested. He is only interested in preparation for his second tenure. Most often, I do ask myself whether some of our politicians have a conscience at all,” he said.

“You are a governor of a state; people are dying everyday, and you are celebrating their marriage anniversary. People are kidnapped everyday, and the governor insists that there is adequate security in the state. There is security and he is moving with a fleet of security vehicles and dozens of security personnel,” the cleric said.

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“Have you seen the convoy of the Anambra State governor – with dozens of policemen, soldiers, SSS, armoured vehicles, and other things? He is well protected, but what of the poor masses, who do not have anything to protect themselves?”

Mr Obimma further claimed that kidnappers from other states were currently camping in Anambra because they see the state as a haven for the operation.

“To my greatest chagrin, Anambra has very small landmass – not even that the landmass is big. Anambra forests are so small that security guards can cover them in one day, yet they are not doing anything to combat kidnapping and other criminalities.

“The people should ask Governor Soludo what he does with his monthly security votes running into billions of naira,” he said.

Continuing, the cleric said: “Let the governor act fast to save the lives of people in the state because he is not doing anything.

“Patching roads is not good governance. Anambrarians should rise to recover their state. People are being killed everyday.

“Members of the state assembly are not telling him anything! Has it not affected them? One of them has been with the kidnappers since 24th December 2024. What decisive action are they taking?”

‘Conspiracy of silence’

Meanwhile, Mr Soludo, on Wednesday, said a conspiracy of silence among residents of the state was responsible for rising insecurity such as kidnapping for ransom and ritual killings in Anambra State.

Speaking in Awka on the occasion of the 2025 Armed Forces Remembrance Day, the governor lamented that residents were withholding information about gunmen terrorising the state.

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“The criminals terrorising Anambra live among residents as husbands, fathers, brothers, and friends; yet, people refuse to give information about their activities,” he said.