Insecurity: We Now Worship Under Heavily Armed Guards For Safety – Church
Omowumi Akinwale
The Apostolic Faith Church has disclosed that its services are now conducted under heavy security guard due to prevailing insecurity in the country. The church explained that this measure became necessary owing to the unpredictable nature and pattern of attacks carried out on religious centres by bandits.
A member of the Board of Trustees of the church in West and Central Africa, Prof. Joseph Oba Fatoba, stated this during a visit to the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Ondo State Council, as part of activities marking the Ondo/Ekiti 2025 camp meeting.
Lamenting the deteriorating security situation in the country, Fatoba stressed that Christians are not the only ones being targeted; insecurity in Nigeria affects every citizen, irrespective of religion.
“For some time now, we have had security men guiding our services. Formerly, it was not like that. On Sundays, while people are worshipping, there must be security men on duty. We don’t want any problem to arise unexpectedly.
“Insecurity affects everybody, Christians, Muslims, and others. It is now a national issue. If we try to tie it only to religion, we may fail in fighting it. The devil is behind what is happening,” he said.
The cleric maintained that only a national prayer can rescue the country from its present quagmire, noting that all other measures previously deployed by the political class have proven inadequate.
According to him, the daily and weekly prayer sessions declared by the church will be open to all Nigerians, adding that the church began intensive nationwide prayers two weeks ago to help bring an end to the insecurity overwhelming the country.
However, the leadership of the NUJ in the state stated that the church and religious leaders deserve commendation for using prayers to intercede for the nation. The NUJ chairman, Leke Adegbite, remarked that in some nations, “a fraction of what we face would have scattered them. But God has been merciful because of men and women who pray silently for this nation.”
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