Ejiofor to Nigerians: Deploy Lawful, Constitutional Means to End Relentless Cycle of Violence

Nigerian human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has urged all Nigerians to deploy lawful and constitutional means to halt the country’s relentless cycle of violence before more communities are plunged into irreversible devastation.

According to the human rights lawyer, Nigeria owes its citizens not merely condolences after tragedy, but the unwavering protection that every sovereign nation is duty-bound to provide.

Ejiofor made the call in his weekly sermon titled, “MIDWEEK MUSINGS: THE ESCALATING TIDE OF GENOCIDAL ATROCITIES: MASS BURIAL OF 27 VICTIMS OF JIHADIST TERROR AS NIGERIA’S CONSCIENCE STANDS TRIAL,” following the devastating attack on Naridan, a predominantly farming border community between Kaduna State and Ganawuri in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The senior lawyer, who also holds the traditional title of Dunu-Ezeugosinachi, lamented what he described as coordinated online attacks against Catholic bishops following their candid audience with the Presidency.
According to Ejiofor, a few days ago Nigeria was confronted with yet another harrowing spectacle, one that should have shaken the conscience of every citizen and every institution entrusted with the sacred responsibility of preserving human life.

He noted that it was neither a festive gathering nor the joyous celebration of a mass wedding often witnessed in many communities. Rather, it was a solemn and heart-rending requiem conducted by the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, where 27 innocent Christians, reportedly victims of yet another brutal attack in Kaduna State, were laid to rest in a single mass burial.
According to him, reports indicate that the attack, which culminated in the tragic burials, occurred at about 11:00 p.m. on Sunday when armed jihadist terrorists invaded Naridan, a predominantly farming border community between Kaduna State and Ganawuri in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.
He said at least 30 persons, including women and children, were murdered during the attack. Homes were set ablaze, while several residents were abducted as families slept helplessly in the darkness.

“Their only ‘crime’ was existing in communities that have, for years, borne the crushing weight of relentless violence. They were fathers and mothers, children and youths, husbands and wives, farmers and artisans—ordinary Nigerians whose dreams, aspirations, and futures were violently extinguished. They were citizens no different from you or me, whose fundamental constitutional right to life was brutally denied by those who continue to unleash terror with alarming impunity,” he said.

Ejiofor stated that the haunting image of 27 coffins arranged in mournful silence is not merely a photograph but a profound indictment of a nation steadily becoming desensitized to recurring mass killings.
He described the scene as a chilling reminder that, beyond political slogans and official assurances, lies a tragic reality that refuses to disappear.
According to the statement, history teaches that every genocide begins with the normalization of repeated atrocities and the collective silence that follows them.

The statement reads in part:
“Rwanda did not descend into catastrophe overnight. Bosnia’s darkest chapters were preceded by years of ignored warning signs. Across history, societies that failed to confront systematic violence at its formative stages ultimately paid an unimaginable price. Nigeria must resist travelling that perilous path.

“One cannot behold those rows of coffins without arriving at the painful conclusion that Nigeria is facing a grievous security crisis. Whether one characterizes the violence as terrorism, insurgency, or coordinated criminality, the undeniable reality is that innocent lives continue to be lost on a scale that should provoke sustained national outrage. Yet, disturbingly, the urgency of this humanitarian tragedy increasingly appears to be overshadowed by the political calculations and permutations surrounding the 2027 general elections.

“The news of these devastating killings briefly occupied newspaper headlines and social media timelines before being swallowed by the next cycle of political controversy. Such recurring national amnesia is both dangerous and tragic. A country that quickly forgets its dead inadvertently encourages the cycle that continues to produce them.

“Equally disturbing is the reaction that followed the recent visit of the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria to the Presidency. Rather than receiving commendation for courageously conveying the painful realities confronting millions of Nigerians, several bishops became the targets of intense criticism and coordinated online bullying after honestly expressing the grave concerns of citizens over insecurity and the worsening national condition.

“Religious leaders occupy a unique moral space in every democratic society. Their prophetic and pastoral responsibility has never been to flatter those in authority but to speak the truth with courage, compassion, and fidelity to conscience. Throughout history, men and women of faith have often stood as the final moral compass when political institutions struggled to confront uncomfortable realities.

“A government genuinely committed to solving national problems should welcome sincere criticism, particularly from respected institutions whose only interest is the preservation of human dignity and national stability. Honest counsel should never be mistaken for hostility. Constructive criticism remains one of democracy’s indispensable safeguards.

“The time for measured but decisive action is now. The blood of innocent Nigerians should awaken our collective conscience, not merely our emotions. National security must once again become the foremost priority of the State. Every lawful resource, every constitutional mechanism, and every available intelligence capability must be deployed to halt this relentless cycle of violence before even more communities are plunged into irreversible devastation.
“Nigeria owes its citizens not merely condolences after tragedy, but the unwavering protection that every sovereign nation is duty-bound to provide.”