The President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Francis Wale Oke, has lauded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call for an end to the killing of Christians in Nigeria, describing it as a timely and courageous intervention.
Bishop Oke said the Prime Minister’s comment reflects growing international concern over the persistent attacks on Christian communities across the country.
According to him, killings, kidnappings, and destruction of churches in parts of Nigeria have gone on for too long, with many innocent citizens losing their lives without adequate protection.
“We appreciate the concern expressed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the plight of Christians in Nigeria. His statement echoes the cries of millions of Nigerians who have suffered violence, persecution and injustice simply because of their faith,” he said.
The PFN President noted that while international voices are important in drawing global attention to the crisis, the primary responsibility lies with the Nigerian government to rise decisively to its constitutional duty of protecting lives and property.
“This is a wake-up call to the Nigerian authorities. Our people should not need foreign leaders to remind us of the sanctity of human life. The continuous killing of Christians, farmers and innocent citizens must stop,” he added.
Bishop Oke called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and security agencies to take more proactive and intelligence-driven measures to end insecurity, stressing that peace and justice are essential for national unity and development.
“We know the government and its apologists will claim that they are doing their best,” he said. “But the church in Nigeria, and every Nigerian will never agree with that claim until all killing of Christians, and any Nigerian for that matter, stops and all perpetrators of past killings, kidnappings, violence and land-grabbings are brought to justice.”
The cleric further urged President Tinubu to “decisively purge Nigeria’s entire security system of moles, fifth columnists, their sponsors and sympathisers who are actively undermining the efforts of our faithful and gallant officers. They should be effectively wiped out for our security system to function properly.”
He also called on the international community to continue supporting Nigeria in efforts to restore peace, promote dialogue, and hold perpetrators of violence accountable.
Warning against unconstitutional actions, Bishop Oke said, “The military must never consider any unconstitutional move of any kind, as this is totally unacceptable to the Nigerian people.
“Politicians should stop giving wrong signals for military misadventure through bad governance. Neither should they continue to take Nigerians for granted, thinking they can be blindfolded with money or so-called ‘palliatives’ rather than good governance.”
He urged all Nigerians not to lose faith in the Nigeria project but to remain relentless in holding elected officials accountable.
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