By Chimaobi Nwaiwu

The Knights of Saint Mulumba (KSM) Nigeria have identified injustice, insecurity, and poverty as the three most pressing problems confronting the nation, warning that persistent abductions, killings, and failure to address these issues could lead to widespread unrest.

The Catholic lay organisation made the declaration during a Business Retreat and Special World Press Conference held at the KSM National Headquarters in Onitsha, Anambra State.

Newly elected Supreme Head of KSM Nigeria, Sir Steve Zakari Adehi (SAN), addressed journalists at the event, expressing deep concern over the difficult conditions Nigerians face under the current administration.

“Nigerians are tired—not just economically strained or politically frustrated, but morally exhausted because of injustice by leaders,” Adehi stated.

He lamented the escalating rate of kidnappings and killings, particularly in northern Nigeria, noting that many incidents remain unreported while the government has failed to provide effective solutions.

“Kidnapping and killing has become a norm in Nigeria, particularly in the northern part of the country,” Adehi said. “There are many unreported kidnappings and killings of Nigerians that have taken place but government is doing nothing to address the issue.”

He highlighted the human toll, describing families where breadwinners have been abducted and wives no longer ask when their husbands will return but instead focus on how to keep their children in school.

Adehi stressed that KSM Nigeria, after 73 years of quiet service, can no longer remain silent in the face of national dysfunction.

“Injustice must stop in Nigeria, insecurity must be addressed, and poverty must be eradicated in Nigeria,” he declared. “We have been keeping quiet not because we are afraid of anybody or government, but we cannot respond to issues until the Bishops tell us where we are going.”

He clarified that the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) is aware of and supports the group’s position.

Adehi emphasised that KSM is neither an advocacy NGO nor a political pressure group, but a body of over 300 councils across Nigeria comprising civil servants, professionals, entrepreneurs, judges, teachers, healthcare workers, and parish leaders who experience national challenges firsthand.

“This gives the Order a particular vantage point—we encounter Nigeria where policy meets pain,” he explained.

Going forward, KSM Nigeria plans to expand its work beyond compassion to structured examination of root causes such as poverty, procedural injustice, youth criminalisation, delayed trials, and survival challenges that lead to incarceration.

“Our conviction is clear: a society that only builds prisons without repairing pathways into dignity will continue to recycle human beings through suffering,” Adehi said. “Correctional facilities must correct, not harden. Incarceration must become rarer, not routine.”

The organisation also committed to deepening engagement in access to justice by supporting indigent litigants, facilitating legal navigation, and advocating for humane alternatives to adversarial processes.

“We are particularly concerned with restoring trust in the justice ecosystem by ensuring that outcomes are not only lawful, but intelligible, timely, and humane,” he concluded.