Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, David Oyedepo, has once again raised alarm over the escalating insecurity in Nigeria, reiterating a warning he first issued 15 years ago. His statement comes in the wake of recent attacks on churches that have claimed several lives and left numerous worshippers abducted.
Oyedepo delivered his message during the 4th Pre-Shiloh Encounter Service on Sunday, expressing profound concern about the state of the nation.
“Developments in the past two weeks, particularly in Nigeria, are worrisome to say the least. There is need for a prompt response in prayers to stop the killings once and for all. You can’t trade people’s lives for your comfort,” he said.
“All the innocent blood shared is speaking vengeance…all the perpetrators will pay with their lives.”
Affirming his deep connection to Nigeria, Oyedepo declared, “No one is more Nigerian than myself. We all have our ancestral grounds. We all know power passes power, no power passes the power of God.”
He urged members of his church to participate in midnight prayers, “We are going out on a midnight raid (prayers). Every member of this church should be awake one hour before violence descends to anarchy in Nigeria… you mean a church was invaded during worship, and people were killed and abducted and nothing happened? The God of justice is rising. He gave reasons the wicked will be cursed in prayers (Genesis 12:3).”
Highlighting Nigeria’s spiritual identity, the cleric further stressed, “When God steps in, the pride of men is cut. Every arrogance will be cut down. Nigeria will never descend into chaos. I want them to hear these hard things because they are coming from the burning spirit of a prophet.”
Drawing on scripture, Oyedepo emphasized peace, “When God speaks, it is accompanied with peace, Psalm 85:8, ‘I will listen to what God the LORD will say; for He will surely speak peace to His people and His saints. He will not let them return to folly.’ I’ve been shouting this for 15 years; he (God) has prompted me to speak again.”
While condemning acts of violence, kidnapping, and terrorism, he added, “We shall be calling for justice against those responsible for acts of violence. We are raiding the camp of the wicked; let’s all partake in the midnight prayer.”
Italy Joins Global Concern Over Christian Killings in Nigeria
Following the lead of US President Donald Trump, Italy has become the second G7 nation to demand an immediate end to attacks targeting Christians in Nigeria.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned what she described as “renewed violence” against Christian communities in a statement shared on X, emphasizing that such attacks are intolerable.
“We strongly condemn the renewed violence that has taken place against Christian communities in Nigeria. Religious freedom is an inviolable right,” she stated.
“We ask the Nigerian government to strengthen the protection of Christian communities and all religious communities and to prosecute those responsible for these heinous attacks.”
She concluded by expressing solidarity with the victims, saying Italy “expresses all its closeness to the victims and to the communities in Nigeria who today feel in danger because of their religious beliefs,” highlighting growing global attention to the targeted killings.
