Apostle Johnson Suleman, the Senior Pastor and General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International, has urged President Bola Tinubu to address the worsening insecurity in the country or step down.
The clergyman made the call during a recent service where he spoke about Nigeria’s security challenges, saying the government must go beyond fighting foot soldiers and focus on those financing and sponsoring terrorism.
According to the cleric, the real enemies of the country are not only the armed groups carrying out attacks but those who provide them with resources, weapons and support.
He said such sponsors must be identified, arrested and prosecuted if Nigeria is serious about ending terrorism and other forms of violent crime.
He argued that many of those currently carrying weapons were products of an older network of terrorists allegedly allowed to grow over the years.
“The sponsors of terrorism are our real problem. Go after them. If the President cannot deal with them, he should resign, let somebody else do it,” Suleman said.
“The people you are facing now are the children of those terrorists who were six years old when they brought them in 2014, who have now grown to be 21 or 19 years old. ” That’s why you see them, small, small boys carrying AK-47s. Go after the sponsors who empower them.”
The cleric insisted that tackling insecurity requires leadership courage, adding that arresting only the attackers without addressing their sponsors would not end the crisis.
Despite his criticism of the government’s handling of insecurity, Suleman commended Nigeria’s security agencies, describing them as some of the best in the world.
He said his experience from travels to several countries had convinced him that the Nigerian Army, the police and the Department of State Services have capable officers.
“I have travelled to several countries and I can boldly tell you that the Nigerian Army, the police and the DSS are among the best in the world,” he said.
Suleman maintained that the country’s security personnel could perform better if the government showed enough political will to confront those fuelling violence.
He said the insecurity crisis would continue unless those behind terrorist activities were exposed and made to face the law.