By RismadarVoice Media, December 10, 2025
In an unprecedented show of unity and moral force, some of Nigeria’s most influential Christian, Muslim and Traditional Leaders have delivered a stinging message to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly: Nigeria is bleeding, and the responsibility to stop the bloodshed now lies squarely with the government.
Gathered at a high-level Interfaith Dialogue on Religious Freedom and Human Security in Abuja, organized by the Global Peace Foundation Nigeria, the leaders declared that insecurity has escalated into a full-blown national emergency, one that no politician can excuse, ignore or outsource.
The event brought together a formidable choir of voices: Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Sheikh Nurudeen Lemu, Rev. Stephen Baba, Sheikh Nuru Khalid, Archbishop Sunday Onuoha, Rev. Fr. Canice Enyiaka, Alhaji Attahiru, Emir of Bungudu, Alhaji Ahmadu Onawo, Emir of Doma, and others – a gathering rarely seen in the country’s fractured climate.
While acknowledging that the crisis predates the current administration, the leaders stressed that Tinubu now carries both the constitutional authority and the moral responsibility to rescue the nation.
“Every human life is sacred. We condemn all killings, kidnappings and targeted attacks,” they declared in a joint message that amounted to a moral verdict on Nigeria’s leadership.
Several speakers warned that, if elected officials failed to protect their communities, they had “no moral right to legislate or govern.”
In one of the most searing speeches of the day, Rev. Fr. Canice Enyiaka described the violence sweeping the country as both a national and spiritual emergency.
“When a Nigerian is killed, the entire nation bleeds. When a child is kidnapped, the whole nation is kidnapped,” he said, drawing murmurs of agreement from the hall.
He warned that extremists were weaponizing religion in destroying communities, insisted that clerics must stand together as “guardians of the Nigerian souls.”
Quoting scripture, he added: “Whoever kills one soul, kills all humanity. Whoever saves one soul, saves all humanity.”
Perhaps, the most provocative aspect of the communiqué was its unfiltered message to Nigeria’s political class.
“Everything the President is doing will be meaningless if insecurity is not tackled. Members of the National Assembly must realize that they will have no job if their constituencies are consumed by violence.”
The leaders further said Nigerians must confront their own complicity: “Our problems are self-made, we are all responsible. No outsider will solve them for us.”
The dialogue resolved to set up a Joint Interfaith Advocacy Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), push for the creation of a National FoRB Commission, and hold quarterly interfaith consultations.
They also agreed to strengthen early-warning systems, expand mediation efforts, and intensify peace among youth and women.
Archbishop Sunday Onuoha called on the government to swallow its pride when necessary: “If we can borrow money from the world, we can also seek help to save lives. However, our sovereignty must remain intact.”
