The Conservative Church Reacts in Enugu State

It is not normal occurrence for men of God, especially the usually conservative catholic priests, to react angrily publicly. But that was exactly what happened on Friday 2nd August, 2019; when many catholic priests took to the streets in a massive protest against the killing of a priest by gunmen believed to be Fulani herdsmen in Enugu State.

This will seem to mark a critical turning point in the growing outcry over the spate of killings and kidnappings believed to have been orchestrated by the herdsmen.

It is noteworthy that this is happening in Enugu State whose Governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, is believed to have been relatively soft in dealing with the growing violent attacks attributed to the herdsmen. Probably, this might push the state government into a more aggressive tone of reaction over these killings.

But what can a state Governor really do given the state of politics and security challenges in Nigeria? Ugwuanyi has seemed more gentle than other Governors judged by his rhetorics or lack thereof. However, that is not necessarily a sign of weakness. His position is probably a mark of sober realism in the face of a problem that is beyond the Governors.

The possibility is that with the much increased outcry, the Governor might be tempted to bend towards saying or doing things in ways that are calculated to please the people more. But Ugwuanyi has been safe and secure politically. If he did not feel pressured while in his first term, he will likely not feel so now that he is at the beginning of his second term.

It remains too early to tell how the heightened outrage might change the official reaction to herdsmen-related violence at both the federal and state levels.