By Gbenga Osinaike
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has raised its voice against the systemic decimation of Nigerians by terrorist groups and the apparent lackluster attitude of the government, describing the current situation in the country as pathetic.
The body came out boldly to decry the evil in the land after a three-day fast which ended on Sunday May 24. All its members from across Nigeria organized rallies in their respective states and issued a strongly worded press statement urging the Nigerian government to wake up to its responsibilities.
The Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the fellowship, Pastor Yemi Davids, led members in the rally and read the press statement signed by the PFN National President, Bishop Wale Oke.
In the statement, the PFN mourned the apparent lack of firm political will by the Tinubu-led government to crush the evil in Nigeria, lamenting that it has been allowed to spread unchecked amid empty promises that have yielded no results
Misplaced focus
Part of the statement reads: “Nigerians are sick and tired of this evil and the apparent misplaced focus on winning elections by all means, rather than deploying the full weight of our law and federal might to crush the killers of Nigerians. Rather than doing this, our governments are ‘rehabilitating’ so-called ‘repentant’ Boko Haram killers, even drafting them into our security network. We are burdened because this intolerable violence is becoming normal in Nigerians”
The rally, which coincided with the global Pentecost celebration marking 150 years of Pentecostalism worldwide, attracted top church leaders and many concerned Nigerians.
In the emotion-laden statement, the PFN noted: “We are burdened for Nigeria today because we have lost our sense of value for human life and its sanctity. The level of banditry, kidnapping, violence, insecurity, and savage killings all across the Nigerian landscape has risen to an intolerable height, such that every Nigerian should cry out against it to God for divine intervention, and to our governments for immediate and effective action.”
Litany of killings
The body recalled a litany of past killings and attacks, including the abduction of several girls from Chibok, Borno State, who are still languishing in captivity. It also recalled the case of Leah Sharibu, who remains shackled in bondage by religious kidnappers because she refused to renounce her Christian faith.
While lamenting the seeming unconcerned attitude of the Nigerian government, the fellowship recalled how a student, Deborah Samuel, was burnt to death in Sokoto by a murderous mob simply for speaking against using a students’ WhatsApp group for religious purposes—and nothing happened to her killers.
According to the PFN, “Taraba, Plateau, Benue states, and Southern Kaduna have since become daily killing fields. Edo, Kogi, and Ondo states have also not been spared.”
As of today, in the words of the fellowship, “Several communities in Kwara State have been sacked by rampaging bandits wielding sophisticated guns and other dangerous weapons. Innocent people were kidnapped, raped, and killed again and again in large numbers in Borno, Niger, Sokoto, Kaduna, and other states of the federation. Oyo State has become the latest killing field, culminating in the abduction of several teachers and students, with one of the teachers, Mr. Michael Oyedokun, gruesomely beheaded and another shot dead.”
While these satanic acts were going on, the body lamented that “the political elites continued with business as usual, as though nothing was happening.” What is most troubling, according to the Christian body, “is the loss of our sense of humanity” while the killings continue.
Soldiers are being killed
The fellowship stated further: “We are burdened because our valiant Generals and their gallant soldiers are being killed like chickens because our security system has been infiltrated and fatally compromised. What is going on in Nigeria does more than take lives. It fractures unity, scares away investors, drives our best minds abroad, weakens the bond between the citizens and the State, and creates a wave of insecurity and terror that makes the Nigerian people no longer feel safe.”
The PFN stated that it has resolved to pray and speak continuously against the evil while calling on the Federal Government to fulfill its constitutional and moral duty of protecting every citizen of Nigeria, irrespective of tribe or religion, so that we can truly be “a nation where no one is oppressed.”
It also called on the Church in Nigeria to “stand together in unity and rise against the evil ravaging our country; cry out in repentance and prayer, calling on the God of heaven to intervene in the affairs of our nation; and speak with one voice, so loudly that governments at all levels can feel our pain and sorrows and move decisively to stop this evil and defend our faith and our churches,” the PFN pleaded.
