• Tells Tinubu to give service chiefs 90 days to end insecurity or resign
• CAN demands state of emergency on insecurity nationwide
By Yinka Giwa
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has clarified that a widely circulated photograph showing him carrying a placard during a public demonstration was not a protest against former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, but part of a nationwide Christian peace walk held during the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari to draw attention to escalating insecurity and the killing of innocent Nigerians.
The clarification came as Adeboye renewed his call on President Bola Tinubu to issue a 90-day ultimatum to the nation’s security chiefs to eliminate terrorism, banditry and kidnapping or vacate their offices, while the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on insecurity across the country.
In a statement issued through its official public relations platform, RCCG dismissed claims that the viral photograph was evidence of opposition to Jonathan’s government, describing the narrative as false and misleading. The church explained that the image was taken during a peaceful nationwide walk organised on the directive of CAN under the Buhari administration, when churches across Nigeria were mobilised to demand stronger government action against persistent attacks on Christians and other citizens.
According to the church, the walk in Ebute Metta, Lagos, where Adeboye participated, had no connection whatsoever to Jonathan’s presidency. It stressed that the cleric’s message at the event centred on the sanctity of human life and the need to protect all Nigerians, regardless of faith or ethnic background.
“Pastor Adeboye’s placard emphasised that all lives matter to God. The call was for the protection of innocent Nigerians, both Christians and Muslims,” the statement said, lamenting that photographs from the event had been recycled years later and wrongly linked to a different administration.
The church also responded to criticisms from some quarters accusing Adeboye of silence over Nigeria’s current challenges, insisting that the 84-year-old cleric has consistently spoken out on national issues within the limits of his spiritual office. It maintained that while he cannot direct the President or the First Lady on governance matters, he has repeatedly offered counsel to political leaders on matters affecting national security and welfare.
That position was reinforced in a recent video posted on the church’s X handle, where Adeboye urged President Tinubu to move decisively against insecurity. Reacting to public appeals for him to intervene in the worsening security crisis, the cleric said the President should direct the Chief of Defence Staff and other security chiefs to eradicate terrorists within 90 days or resign from office.
“If I were asked to make suggestions, I would say quietly to our government, move fast. And tell our security chiefs, get rid of these terrorists within 90 days, or resign,” Adeboye said.
He recalled offering similar advice to former President Buhari, who subsequently ordered security chiefs to intensify operations against Boko Haram, bandits, and kidnappers. According to Adeboye, while Buhari embraced the recommendation, he failed to enforce consequences after the deadline elapsed without achieving the desired results.
The cleric further urged the Tinubu administration to go beyond targeting terrorists by also dismantling the networks that fund and sustain them. “When giving orders to the Service Chiefs this time around, we should make it clear to them that they are not only to eliminate the terrorists, but they should eliminate their sponsors, no matter how influential they may be,” he said.
Meanwhile, CAN has escalated pressure on the Federal Government by calling for the declaration of a state of emergency on security nationwide. Speaking in Abuja during the presentation of a communiqué issued at the end of the National Church Denominational Leaders Summit 2026, CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, said the security situation had deteriorated to a point requiring extraordinary measures.
“It has come to that point where the government will have to declare a state of emergency on security,” Okoh stated, adding that the call should not be interpreted as hostility towards the Tinubu administration but as a reminder of its constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property.
The CAN leader noted that insecurity, which had long plagued parts of Northern and North-Central Nigeria, was spreading to other regions of the country. He said churches and communities should be allowed to defend themselves and their property within the limits of the law, while also supporting international cooperation aimed at defeating terrorists and criminal groups.
Okoh expressed support for ongoing security collaboration between Nigeria and the United States, arguing that any assistance capable of restoring peace and stability should be welcomed.