The Senior Pastor and General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International (OFM), Apostle Johnson Suleman, has called on Nigerians to refrain from blaming clergymen for the rising insecurity in the country, emphasising that religious leaders are not responsible for acts of terrorism.

Speaking in a video posted on his Instagram page on Sunday, Suleman referred to recent incidents of kidnappings, including church members in Kwara State and pupils in Kebbi and Niger States, and questioned the rationale behind directing criticism towards pastors. “You see all the attacks that are going on now? The attack, terrorism, and all of that. And as soon as it happens, they call pastors. Why are pastors not talking? You must be sick. Have you ever heard somebody, before he pulls the trigger, say, ‘Praise the Lord, and shoot someone?’ Or he says, ‘Thank you, Jesus, and he pulls the trigger?’ The first people you should call are those in that religion,” he said.

The clergyman, who is 54 years old and hails from Edo State, further stated, “It’s their religious leaders you should call, not pastors. Pastors should speak for the sake of humanity. Why are you calling Papa Adeboye? Is Adeboye an Imam? Does terrorism have a Christian nomenclature? What do they shout before they kill people? Is that a Christian parlance? So why are you calling pastors? You carry somebody’s picture. I am a pastor. The day somebody says, ‘Thank you, Jesus’, before he pulls the trigger, call me.”

Suleman maintained that pastors have actively engaged with both state and federal authorities in response to insecurity. “Should pastors speak? Yes. Because of humanity. Are we speaking? Of course, we are speaking. You know, to you, everything is social media. If you don’t see it on social media, it didn’t happen. They were killed in Benue.

I didn’t just speak; I travelled to Benue. I sat with the governor, and we had a conversation. I went to ask him what we could do. When they were killing in Yola, I didn’t just go to Yola. I went to the governor. I went to the IDP camp because we didn’t post it,” he said.

The pastor also recounted visits to affected areas, including Jos and Borno, where he delivered relief materials despite facing threats. He criticised critics, whom he described as relying solely on social media for information. “We are not just talking, we are going there,” he said, adding that such engagement demonstrates that pastoral intervention is not limited to online statements.

Citing the example of the late President Muhammadu Buhari and Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Suleman underscored that much of the pastoral contribution to security and peace occurs behind the scenes.

“If he didn’t say that, you wouldn’t know what is happening behind the scenes because everybody must be like you. We must insult. Where aggression fails, wisdom gains. We can’t fold our hands when people are dying,” he said.

Suleman also addressed Nigerians in the diaspora who had criticised pastors’ responses, urging them to return to the country to engage in prayer and practical action. He recounted reports that some netizens advised Pastor Jerry Eze against praying for abducted schoolgirls. “Give him a weapon to fight with, since you don’t want him to use the one he already has. The man is praying. That is his weapon. Shut up.

Don’t tell him not to pray,” Suleman said, stressing that prayer remains a key instrument for those confronting insecurity.

He challenged critics to participate actively, either in prayer or on the ground. “Those who can pray, pray. Those who can post, post. Those who can do anything, do it. We want a better Nigeria. Don’t tell him not to pray,” he said. (The Guardian)

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