The executive secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Stephen Adegbite, says the perpetrators of insurgency and its violent crimes in Nigeria do not operate in favour of any of the major religions.
Mr Adegbite, who condemned the inglorious acts, disclosed this in an interview with journalists on Thursday in Lagos.
The NCPC boss described the perpetrators as beasts of no nation and criminals, saying that they should be treated as criminals to foster sanity in society.
According to him, the perpetrators of kidnapping, banditry, and other violent crimes in Nigeria are not members of the two major religions in the country.
“They can’t be members of Islam or Christians, for both faiths are bearing the consequences of the nefarious acts and, by extension, society.
“Every effort to eradicate them from the land should be supported through the government to ensure that they are completely wiped out.
“As a body of Christ, we will continue to pray for the leadership of the country and the operatives to ensure those challenges become things of the past,” he assured.
He described the success recorded by the Nigerian troops in the last few days against the terrorists as divine intervention.
Mr Adegbite lauded the renewed zeal in the troops to halt onslaughts on communities and neutralise latent crimes as the way forward.
He praised the newly commissioned service chiefs for their patriotic zeal, urging Nigerians to support them with useful information to nab those involved in violent crimes.
The cleric described Nigeria as “God’s project that He cannot allow anyone to destroy,” while urging people to cooperate with the government to improve the country’s lot and make the place more human-friendly.
Mr Adegbite’s remarks followed a recent invasion threat by U.S. President Donald Trump, who also designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged Christian genocide.
The American president also threatened military invasion to kill off rampaging bandits and terrorists killing Christians in Nigeria should the Tinubu government fail to act fast in stopping the killings.
Meanwhile, the ChristianAssociation of Nigeria and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria had also affirmed “Christian genocide” in Nigeria.
Last Friday, the PFN president, Francis Oke, said, “It would be a desecration to the blood of these Nigerians to call it any other name. There is not a single instance of a Christian group attacking Muslims. It is always the other way round.”