The Presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church worldwide, David Oyedepo, on Sunday warned against the spate of violence perpetrated by herdsmen in the country, saying it was capable of consuming the nation.
Oyedepo who read from a prepared speech during the service at the Faith Tabernacle, Ota, condemned the obvious inaction of the Presidency over the spate of killings, especially, the one perpetrated by herdsmen.
While stressing that “He that killeth by the sword shall fall by the sword,” he prayed that “Nigeria will not be destroyed for the sake of the elect.”
Below are excerpts from his statement:
“Prophets have the responsibility to engage fervently on the prayer altar for the salvation of the soul of a nation. Prophets have a duty to warn people, warn nations against impending danger. I’m sent as a prophet to the nations and He grants me access to divine confidentialities about nations. So, I have this wake-up call to a nation in its state of slumber.
“Insurgency is spreading across the nation under the guise of Fulani Herdsmen, danger is looming. For example, how many of these killers have been brought to book since their campaign of carnage, death and destruction began, one may ask. They must have the backing of some invisible powers. A nation-wide crisis or unrest is in the offing and may be worse than anyone known around the world.
“Now, tell me what is the morality behind some strangers, who are doing their business as cattle-rearers to overrun your farm with your labour of planting, cultivating and nurturing your plant, and graze their cattle over your crops, and when you challenge them, they kill you on top of it? Where are the leaders of thought in Nigeria? Where is the government? And that continues unabated.
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“We are sitting on the keg of gunpowder. God spoke to me about it as far back as 1992, that a time like this was coming; it’s plainly written in my diary. Nigeria shall not be destroyed. God shall trouble all the troublers of the progress and peace of this nation.
“The destiny of our nation has never been under any threat of survival as it is today. People may soon be forced to take laws into their hands. The security apparatus of the nation has obviously failed to defend the lives and properties of these poor farmers across the nation. Where we are claiming to curtail the Boko Haram onslaught, we are on the other hand sponsoring or abetting Fulani Herdsmen and their murderous acts.
“Nigeria is a nation at war with herself. No external aggressions or aggressors, not ethnic crisis, no natural disaster, yet we are doing mass-burials. What a nation in a state of slumber? Hear the voice of the Lord through this prophet. The soul of Nigeria is near the point of death. Citizens of this nation are fast becoming endangered species. God have mercy!
“Let me ask these pertinent questions that bother on conscience of a nation and her leaders. Is cattle business government business? Should farmers be killed for Fulani Herdsmen to live? Should all the farmers leave their farms today in the fear of Fulani Herdsmen? As at the last time I knew, Nigeria still produces less than 20% of what she eats. What is the contribution of the Herdsmen and their cattle business to the GDP of Nigeria? There is more to this slow response of government to addressing this sensitive issue which is obviously a time bomb.
“Question number 2:Does Nigerian land belong to the Fulani Herdsmen? There has never been this kind of assault on the intelligence of the people like we have it now. Should you allocate my father’s land to Fulani Herdsmen? Never! There will be brutal response. No, No. Are they now the customary land owners of every state, city, town, village and hamlet in Nigeria? There is danger in the offing. Every community may soon set up their own security system to defend the insurgency of the Fulani Herdsmen.
“Question number 3:Can the citizens still trust the security agencies of this nation for their protection? You will be vulnerable for life! Where citizens cannot trust government for security, a state of anarchy is in view. Insurrection may as well be on the way. This largely unchecked aggression of Fulani Herdsmen may eventually choke the soul of Nigeria to death. God forbid!”
