The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), a human rights advocacy organization, has urged the Vatican to appoint an additional serving Cardinal for Nigeria, citing the country’s size and the urgent need for stronger Catholic leadership.
In a statement issued in Enugu on Sunday, the group’s Board Chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi, noted that among the four Cardinals ever appointed from Nigeria, three—Francis Cardinal Arinze (92), Anthony Cardinal Okogie (88), and John Cardinal Onaiyekan (81)—have all retired, leaving only one active Cardinal, Peter Cardinal Okpaleke, aged 62.
Intersociety argued that with Nigeria holding the second-largest Catholic population in Africa, just behind the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), it is unjustifiable to have only one serving Cardinal.
The group used the occasion to congratulate the new pontiff, Pope Robert Francis Prevost (Pope Leo XIV), and called on him to prioritize strengthening the leadership of the Church in Nigeria.
“One major task facing him is entrustment of the leadership of the Catholic Church in Nigeria in the hands of a brave, courageous and unpurchasable Catholic Bishops and Priests,” the statement read, “especially against the backdrop of widespread attacks on defenseless members of the Church, their church buildings and schools by the country’s well-funded Islamic Jihadists and their patrons.”
The group criticized the Church’s current leadership in Nigeria, accusing some figures of materialism: “The leadership of the Catholic Church in Nigeria has been enveloped by ‘builders of heavenly paradises on earth’ and disciples of ‘materialistic evangelism,’ leading to the retardation of the growth of the Church across the country.”
Highlighting the increasing dangers facing Catholic clergy, Intersociety stated that no fewer than 14 Catholic priests have been abducted in Nigeria between January and May 2025, with at least one killed.
The organization specifically called for the elevation of Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, Benue State, to the rank of Cardinal.
“Therefore, since bestowment of a Cardinal involves several considerations including bravery, fearlessness, selflessness and full dedication to the work of God including untiring defense of Christian Faith, Intersociety is calling on new Pope Robert Francis Prevost (Pope Leo XIV) and his Distinguished College of Cardinals to evaluate the person and character of His Lordship, Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, Benue State,” the group said.
“As a matter of fact, His Lordship, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe should be elevated as Nigeria’s second serving Cardinal. Father Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe is also found to be within the energetic age of 60, having been born in 1965. The fiery Prelate was in the international news in recent months gone by, during which he bravely spoke out about the massacre of Christians by Fulani Jihadists in Benue State.”
The group highlighted the threats to the bishop’s personal safety and rights: “The fiery Catholic Bishop also informed that his life and dignity of human person are under threat; in addition to his rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement, assembly, thought, conscience, religion and expression are facing serious infringement and attack.”
“In addition to his personal ordeal,” the group noted, “his Diocese of Makurdi has lost more than 14 parishes to Fulani Jihadists in recent times.” Intersociety also urged recognition for Rev. Father Remigius Ihyula of the same Diocese, recommending him for elevation to Monsignor or possible consecration as a Bishop.
The group concluded by cautioning the new Pope and the College of Cardinals against political and material influence from certain quarters in Nigeria, particularly from the South-East.
It alleged that “four of its five governors” in the region are “more loyal to enemies of the Church and Christian faith than their professed denomination.”
The statement further lamented that jihadist campaigns have “cut down the growth of Catholics and defense of Christian Faith by about 30% in 16 years,” during which “not less than sixteen Catholic dioceses were uprooted or threatened with religicide.”
Among the areas mentioned as suffering such attacks were the Archdioceses in Kaduna and Plateau States, three dioceses in Benue, as well as Minna and Kontagora in Niger State.
