The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has appealed to President Donald Trump of the United States to collaborate with Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu in addressing worsening security situation, instead of military intervention.
Speaking in a television programme in Ibadan, Oyo State on Thursday, PFN’s President, Bishop Wale Oke, stressed that the lives of Nigerians, irrespective of faith, must be protected.
He called for greater international cooperation to tackle terrorism and violent extremism.
“Whatever needs to be done should be done to stop the killings. The life of every Nigerian is precious, and the targeted attacks against the church should stop.
“If President Tinubu seeks support for counterterrorism training from the United States, or wherever America has expertise, he should ask for it. But we do not want an American invasion of Nigeria.
“We want Donald Trump to work with our President and hold him accountable to stop the targeted killing and kidnapping of our members,” Bishop Oke said.
The cleric further urged the Nigerian government to take decisive steps to end the wave of violence across the country.
“We don’t want revenge, like I said. But we want an end to killings. We want every Nigerian, whether Muslim or Christian, to live, work, and worship freely anywhere in the country,” he added.
The PFN’s position followed recent remarks by President Trump’s criticism of the Nigerian authorities of failing to protect Christians from what he termed a “mass slaughter.”
Declaring Nigeria a “country of particular concern,” Trump claimed that thousands of Christians were being killed by “radical Islamists” and warned that the United States might take military action if the situation persisted.
“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians,” Trump wrote. “The Nigerian government better move fast!”
Bishop Oke reaffirmed that while Nigerian Christians are concerned about rising insecurity, they seek peace, justice, and stronger global support for Nigeria’s security apparatus.
