The Catholic archbishop of Abuja Archdiocese, Ignatius Kaigama, has called on Nigerians to stop religious violence at the slightest provocation.

“I call on Nigerians to face the real problems that confront us and stop firing religious missiles, using religion as a weapon of violence, or even taking life at the slightest provocation,” said Mr Kaigama.

Mr Kaigama made the call during a sermon at the opening mass for the second plenary of the Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) on Sunday in Abuja.

The cleric also cautioned religious leaders against unguarded utterances capable of igniting conflicts among religious faithful.

“Those religious leaders who make inflammatory statements in videos on social media should be cautioned by the appropriate authorities.

“Our Christian and Islamic bodies, rather than engaging in offensive or defensive rhetoric or threats, should always preach the need for holiness, peaceful coexistence, compassion, good neighbourliness, rather than encouraging the use of verbal or physical violence,” he said.

Mr Kaigama charged Nigerians to imbibe the virtues of humility and love for conflict resolution.

He also called on leaders at all levels to guard against diversion of government palliatives and ensure they get to the poor.

Last month, the federal government announced the release of N5 billion and food items as palliatives to states and the FCT to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal on petrol on Nigerians.

“We must try to reach out to those in need as we remember the words of our Lord,” said Mr Kaigama.

“As the word ‘palliative’ once again makes a return to the repertoire of our national vocabulary, we call on leaders at all levels to ensure that what is meant for the hungry poor truly reaches the hungry poor,” he added.