The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria has expressed deep concern over the escalating wave of banditry, kidnapping, and violent killings across the nation. The organization declared that the security situation has reached an unbearable level, requiring immediate divine intervention and decisive government measures.
Speaking after a three-day national fasting and prayer program, the PFN National President, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, highlighted the plight of many victims. He noted that several Chibok schoolgirls remain in captivity years after their abduction by Boko Haram. Leah Sharibu continues to be held hostage for refusing to deny her Christian faith, while justice has not been served in the murder of Deborah Samuel, who was killed by a mob in Sokoto for mentioning Jesus’ name.
Bishop Oke, represented by Kaduna State PFN Chairman Bishop Musa Dasikwo, recounted that Taraba, Plateau, Benue, and Southern Kaduna have become daily sites of bloodshed. Edo, Kogi, and Ondo states have also experienced attacks. He reported that communities in Kwara State have been overrun by armed bandits wielding sophisticated weapons.
The cleric lamented the widespread kidnapping, rape, and killings in Borno, Niger, Sokoto, Kaduna, and other states. He pointed out that Oyo State has become a new hotspot, where teachers and students were abducted, with one teacher beheaded and another shot dead. The PFN mourned what it called a lack of political will by the government to crush these evils, stating that allowing such violence to fester amounts to empty promises.
Bishop Oke criticized the government for focusing on winning elections rather than deploying the full force of law to stop the killers. He condemned the rehabilitation of repentant Boko Haram fighters and their integration into security forces. The insecurity, he argued, fractures national unity, scares investors, drives away skilled citizens, and breaks the bond between the people and the state, leaving Nigerians feeling unsafe.
The PFN called on the federal government to fulfill its constitutional duty to protect every citizen regardless of tribe or religion, so that Nigeria can become a nation where no one is oppressed.