Why we won’t advocate for Christians to take up arms – ex-PFN President

backs state police, call for external support to stop terrorism

By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – A former President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Rev Felix Omobude said despite the deliberate targeting of Christians by terrorist groups for killings and abductions, the situation would become chaotic and more complicated if Christians chose to carry arms against the criminals.

He however said that there is nothing wrong in churches and Christians organising protection through appropriate channels during services and activities.

Omobude stated this in an interview with some journalists on Sunday on burning national issues where he said there was nothing wrong in the Nigerian government calling for external help to stop terrorism.

According to him, if anybody had prophesied that the country would be in this situation about15 years ago, people would not have believed it “but here we are, it is very worrisome” he said.

He said “it will be irresponsible for a leader at certain levels for example to call for arms, to call for violence. Violence will give birth to violence, we don’t have another nation. So our restraint is because we believe that a united Nigeria will be the best for us and I hope that those in leadership don’t take our restraint for weakness.

“The church under the situation cannot call for arms unless you want to scatter things. We will continue to pray, we continue to advocate. We will continue to also educate our people appropriately.”

Omobude said Nigeria has already been taken over by foreigners and that the argument that external forces coming in would impinge on the sovereignty of the country does not hold water.

He said as president of the PFN, he had consistently advocated for state police and commended President Bola Tinubu’s position on that.

“As president of PFN for eight years, we advocated the formation of state police policy. I was happy to hear recently that the president has ordered that that be done. The centralisation of the policing system in this country is anti-development. Society has gone beyond that. When I was growing up, we had a local government authority police. They had their duties, tax collection, environmental issues and all the rest. So I don’t see any reason why we should not encourage state policing.

“I heard that American people want to come and help us. Some people are saying it violates our sovereignty. I don’t think that is right, already, our sovereignty has been violated by these insurgents who came from another country and have taken us over. It is like the military itself is infiltrated. So I don’t see what is wrong in asking for help. For external help.”

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