Protesters
Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has called on the Federal Government to urgently demonstrate stronger political will in tackling insecurity across the country, warning that the worsening wave of violence has become unbearable for Nigerians.
The call was made in Sokoto at the end of a three-day national prayer and fasting programme organised by the fellowship.
Addressing journalists during a peaceful procession, the National President of PFN, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, represented by the Sokoto State Chairman of the fellowship, Pastor Ben Musa, said Christians across the country had been mobilised to pray for divine intervention against insecurity and economic hardship confronting the nation.
Members of the fellowship marched through parts of Sokoto metropolis carrying placards bearing inscriptions such as “Protect the Innocent,” “Nigeria Must Be Safe,” and “No to Economic Hardship.”
The group urged the Federal Government to rise to its constitutional responsibility of safeguarding the lives and property of citizens.
According to the PFN leadership, the fellowship could no longer remain silent in the face of growing violence and bloodshed across the country.
“We have resolved to speak out against the evil of insecurity, hoping that our government will give it the desired attention,” the group stated.
PFN lamented the recurring cases of kidnapping, rape and killings of innocent Nigerians, accusing political leaders of paying more attention to politics than addressing the security crisis.
The fellowship described the continued attacks by bandits, armed herders and insurgents as “unspeakable and despicable acts of terror.”
“We are burdened by the loss of our sense of humanity. We are burdened for the unchecked rampaging of bandits, murderous herdsmen killing Nigerian farmers on their farms, Boko Haram insurgents using the noble religion of Islam to perpetrate heinous violence against peaceful Nigerians, unchecked, across our national landscape,” PFN said.
The Christian body further expressed concern over what it called the absence of decisive action by government authorities to end the violence.
“Most especially, we mourn the apparent lack of a firm political will by our government to crush these horrible evils in Nigeria, allowing it to spread unchecked, with empty promises that have done no good,” the fellowship added.
PFN also criticised the rehabilitation programme for repentant insurgents, insisting that Nigerians expect stronger measures against those responsible for violent attacks.
“Nigerians are sick and tired of this evil and the apparent misplaced focus on winning elections by all means rather than focusing the full weight of our law and federal might to crush the killers of Nigerians. Rather than doing this, our governments are rehabilitating our so-called repentant Boko Haram killers, even drafting them into our security network,” the statement read.
The fellowship stressed that the continued killings and abductions had become normalised in the country, insisting that government must move beyond promises and take concrete steps to restore peace and security.
“The blood of the innocent demands more than promises. It demands immediate effective action,” PFN declared.
The group, however, expressed optimism that through prayers and decisive leadership, peace would return to the country.
“We believe that God is able and will break the vicious cycle of violence, grant our prayer for the rescue of the captives, and restore peace in our country, Nigeria,” the fellowship stated.
