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By Oluseye Ojo
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has warned that escalating terrorism, banditry and kidnappings across the country were pushing Nigerians to the edge.
The umbrella body over all pentecostal churches in the country with over 65 million membership also cautioned that growing frustration among citizens could spark dangerous consequences if urgent action is not taken.
The National President, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, made the disclosure at a press conference in Ibadan yesterday to mark the conclusion of a three-day national fasting and prayer programme, organised by the fellowship from May 22 to May 24 to mark the Global Pentecost Day,
He stated the Christian body had consistently restrained aggrieved Christian youth from retaliatory violence despite repeated attacks, killings and abductions in several parts of the country.
According to him, Nigeria could have slipped into full-scale conflict had religious leaders failed to calm tensions and discourage reprisals. But he noted that the worsening insecurity had become unbearable for many Nigerians.
The PFN president lamented what he described as the nation’s diminishing regard for the sanctity of human life, citing relentless killings, kidnappings, violent attacks and mass displacements across the country.
He specifically mentioned the continued captivity of some of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls and Leah Sharibu, who remain in captivity for allegedly refusing to renounce her Christian faith.
The fellowship also recalled the killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto over alleged blasphemy and condemned what it described as the failure to bring perpetrators to justice.
Oke described Taraba, Plateau, Benue and Southern Kaduna as ‘daily killing fields’,p while noting that communities in Kwara State had recently come under sustained attacks from heavily armed bandits.
He further expressed concern over the recent abduction of teachers and students in Oyo State, which reportedly led to the gruesome killing of a teacher, Mr. Michael Oyedokun, while another victim was shot dead.
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PFN accused political leaders of focusing more attention on elections and political calculations than on addressing the worsening security crisis confronting the country. He also clarified that the body is not against any political party or the government, but insecurity.
The Christian body also criticised the Federal Government’s handling of repentant Boko Haram members, alleging that some former insurgents were being rehabilitated and absorbed into security structures while innocent citizens continued to suffer attacks.
“We are burdened for 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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
On the three-day fasting and prayers , Oke states that “on the night of 19th May 2026, the National Executive Council of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria met for prayer and deliberations on what is going on in Nigeria. We resolved as a Pentecostal community spread across every state of Nigeria to stand together in spiritual warfare, to fast, and pray to God our Almighty Father to arise and scatter the enemies of Nigeria. We also resolved to speak out against this evil, hoping that our government will give it a deserved attention.
“We have fasted. We have prayed. Now we speak. We call on the Federal Government to fulfil 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’. This is the first responsibility of governance. We urge our government to seek help and partnership from the international community before it is too late.
“We call 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 the God of heaven to intervene in the affairs of our nation; speak with one voice so loudly so 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 president expressed hope that God would intervene to rescue captives, end the bloodshed and restore peace to the country.
