The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria has asked President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on security, saying the blood of innocent Nigerians is everywhere.
Citing the cases of banditry, kidnapping and killings in Plateau, Ekiti, Benue and Kaduna states among others across the country, the Christian organisation lamented the lingering insecurity ravaging the nation.
The President of the Fellowship, Bishop Wale Oke, who spoke to journalists after a meeting of the leaders of the PFN late last week, while urging Tinubu not to treat the issues of insecurity with kid gloves, further appealed to Nigerians to bury their hatchet and join hands with the President as he cannot solve the problem alone.
He said, “Be President indeed. You are a seasoned politician, and you know Nigeria like a man knows the back of his hand. Nigerians are in pain. The blood of innocent people is everywhere, in Plateau State, in Benue State, in Kaduna State, in Ekiti State, everywhere.
“Mr. President, please declare a state of emergency on insecurity in Nigeria and use your executive power as the Commander-in-Chief to compel Nigerian forces to crush insecurity and create a safe Nigeria that is peaceful.
“We learned from a group of people on social media threatening that because the election didn’t go their way, they were going to make Nigeria ungovernable.
“This is illegal; the people issuing the threat are criminals and should not be treated with kid gloves.
“The President should put his feet down and crush these rebellions against the authority of Mr. President and against the people of Nigeria.
“Because we are now carrying it beyond banditry and insurgency, it has become a matter of treasonable felony.”
The PFN President added, “I want to assure you of the firm cooperation of over 65 million Pentecostal in Nigeria who will cooperate with you, pray for you, and give you the necessary information that will make you a success.”
The body urged the Federal Government to open the nation’s borders but to be “conscious of security,” saying, “Nigerians are hungry and prices of food are escalating every day. What Nigerians earn is not sufficient to fuel their cars, talk less of food.
“We need Mr. President to work on the economy and provide a solution urgently. We believe Nigeria has no problem with hunger if things are done well.
“If you do, future generations of Nigeria will call you blessed.
“We should open the borders so that food items can come in, but with proper security checks because it has been reported that most people involved in banditry are foreigners, particularly from the Sahel region. So the border should be open in a regulated manner.”
