The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins has called for more urgent official measures to curb the alarming rate of insecurity across the country.

He said the festering terrorists’ attacks in parts of the country and the mass killing of innocent Nigerians in recent times, have underlined the need for the Federal Government and the Security Agencies to, as a matter of urgency, identify and deal decisively with the terrorists and their sponsors.

Archbishop Martins lamented the predawn attack on Monday, 17 November, 2025, at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, where 25 schoolgirls were violently taken from their dormitory, and a similar attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State on Friday, 21 November 2025, where some students were also abducted.

These incidents, he said, are regrettably reminiscent of the abduction of the Chibok girls in April 2014, which still stirs the nation to the core.

In the same vein, he condemned the kidnapping of a Catholic priest, Father Bobbo Paschal, from St. Stephen Catholic Church in Kushe Gudgu, Kaduna State.

During this raid, Gideon Markus, the brother of another local priest, was killed as he tried to intervene. These attacks, he noted, demonstrate the brazen audacity of those who seek to terrorize our nation.

“It is a matter of great concern that there has been a spike in the cases of terrorist attacks across the country in recent times, especially since the threat made by President Donald Trump.

It seems there are some elements who are making deliberate efforts to throw this nation into chaos.

For instance, how does one describe the manner in which the school girls were kidnapped, the brutal murder of a staff member, the school’s Vice Principal and Chief Security Officer, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, who was shot when assailants broke into his residence on the school premises?

“It is sad that these children, aged approximately 12 to 17, were seized under the cover of darkness by gunmen who scaled the school fence, exchanged gunfire with police, and ultimately took these innocent daughters away into the forests.

“We are heartened that one student has escaped and returned home, but we remain deeply troubled about the safety and well-being of the 24 who remain in captivity.”