Former President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Rev Felix Omobude, says Christians taking up arms in response to killings and abductions by terrorist groups would only worsen Nigeria’s fragile security situation.
Speaking with journalists on Sunday, Omobude said the country is already facing heavy tension, and arming Christians would push the nation into deeper chaos.
He explained, “It will be irresponsible for a leader at certain levels, for example, to call for arms, to call for violence. Violence will give birth to violence, we don’t have another nation. So our restraint is because we believe that a united Nigeria will be the best for us, and I hope that those in leadership don’t take our restraint for weakness.”
He added that while churches must not resort to arms, there is nothing wrong with organising proper security through approved channels during services and other activities.
Omobude also said the Nigerian government should not hesitate to seek external help to tackle terrorism, noting that foreign fighters have already violated the country’s sovereignty.
He said, “If anybody had prophesied that the country would be in this situation about 15 years ago, people would not have believed it, but here we are. It is very worrisome.”
He added, “I heard that American people want to come and help us. Some people are saying it violates our sovereignty. I don’t think that is right. Already, our sovereignty has been violated by these insurgents who came from another country and have taken us over. So I don’t see what is wrong in asking for external help.”
The former PFN President also restated his long-standing support for state police and commended President Bola Tinubu for approving steps toward its creation.
“As president of PFN for eight years, we advocated the formation of state police. I was happy to hear recently that the president has ordered that that be done. The centralisation of policing in this country is anti-development,” he said.
Omobude added that Nigeria’s local policing structure in earlier years worked better for community needs and should be restored.
He warned that the rise in terrorism and infiltration of national security systems calls for urgent reforms, stressing that only coordinated national and external support can stop the violence sweeping across parts of the country.
