…Urges Tinubu to partner Trump in tackling the menace
The President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Francis Wale Oke, on Friday, reacted to the allegation by President Donald Trump of the United States of America that Christians in Nigeria are being killed indiscriminately, threatening a counterattack by the US Army.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to partner with the US in tackling the cancer.
It would be recalled that Trump had designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, pointing out that there was Christian genocide in the West African country. However, the Nigerian State and some stakeholders have denied the allegation, describing it as a ploy for economic domination.
Oke’s remarks came amid heightened national and international scrutiny of Nigeria’s security situation, particularly the recurrent attacks on Christian communities in the northern and central regions of the country.
While addressing journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Friday, Wale Oke said it was not debatable that there was genocide against Christians in the country.
Listing killings such as that of Deborah Samuel, as well as the abduction of Leah Sharibu, the Chibok girls, and attacks in Benue, Taraba, Southern Kaduna, Owo in Ondo State, Niger, and Plateau states, the cleric asserted that hundreds of Christians and pastors had been massacred.
The PFN President said: “There is Christian genocide in Nigeria. There is no other name to call it. No Christian group is attacking Muslims. Patience of the church is being stretched”, he said.
He clarified that the violence is perpetrated by radical groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, and their splinter factions, who profess Islam during the onslaught, and not by the Muslim community at large.
Oke expressed appreciation to Donald Trump for raising concerns over the plight of Christians, but urged against any invasion, stressing that cooperation with the Nigerian government is the preferred solution.
“President Tinubu should ask for the cooperation of President Trump instead of opposing him. The President should root out radical groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP. Work together so Nigerians can live in peace,” he said.
Stressing the constitutional duty of the federal government to protect all citizens, Oke noted that while the current administration inherited the security challenges, decisive action is urgently needed.
“The government should stand up and not play politics with it. President Tinubu and the federal government need to cooperate with Trump to deal with this cancer,” Oke insisted.
