By Luminous Jannamike

The National Chaplain of the Knights of St. John International (KSJI), Very Rev. Fr. Patrick Alumuku, has called on the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel to ‘sheathe their swords’ and cease hostilities.

The cleric also extended his appeal to Nigerians in conflict-ridden parts of the country, encouraging them to prioritize peace for the sake of national and regional development.

Alumuku, who also serves as the Director of Communications for the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, made the plea during an interview with journalists on the sidelines of his 65th birthday celebration in Nigeria’s capital yesterday.

Referring to the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine, Alumuku lamented the missed opportunities for Israel due to the continued hostilities.

“I am asking for a seizure of hostilities, because this is exactly the problem that has held Palestine and Israel back; Israel could have been a major world power today,” he said.

The cleric emphasized the detrimental effects of conflict, drawing a comparison with Nigeria’s post-independence struggles.

“If we lack peace, we will be moving one step forward and take three steps backwards which is what we have been experiencing since independence,” Alumuku explained.

Stressing the importance of genuine peace, he urged the Nigeria’s leadership to allocate more resources towards peace-building efforts than any other initiatives.

“We want peace, true peace. We want our leadership to establish true peace in our nation and to make sure that they spend more resources on peace than on anything else,” he added.

The birthday celebration was also marked by salutations from prominent figures.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, praised Alumuku as a hardworking priest.

Represented by Mr Simon Tyungu, a Director in the Office of the SGF, Akume said, “Fr. Patrick is well known to me, during this period of our relationship, He has proven to be very hard working and a gentleman per excellence.”

Rep. Nicholas Mutu (PDP-Delta) echoed Akume’s sentiments, praying for Alumuku’s continued health and dedication to his work.

Mutu, who represents Patani/Bomadi Federal Constituency of Delta, charged the priest to continue his good works and remain a blessing to all.

“He is our mentor, our prayer is that God should sustain him, give him long life and good health, and let him never retire completely because we still need him and his services are still required,” he said.