Military Junta of Niger: Adeboye urges Nigeria to refrain from starting new wars

Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has urged the government of Nigeria to prevent potential new hostilities from starting in the West African nation as fears over the military coup d’état that occurred in the Niger Republic mount.

Communities along Nigeria’s more than 1,500-kilometer border with Niger Republic, which spans seven states (Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina, Jigawa, Zamfara, Yobe, and Borno), have already expressed concerns about their safety.

However, in response to the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) directive to reactivate military force against the Niger Republic, the famous priest declared: “Nigeria is already engaged in some serious wars; the nation does not need more wars.”

He delivered a sermon today on the subject of “Beyond Expectations” at the church’s 2023 Convention.

We are still engaged in conflicts against hunger, he declared. We are engaged in several significant wars, and we definitely do not want further wars. We want to win the battles we are in, and we don’t want new ones, whether they are inside or outside of our borders.

The Imam asserted that peace is always preferable than conflict after sharing his personal account of the Nigerian Civil conflict, which lasted from July 1967 to January 1970 between the Nigerian and Biafran sides.

“Nigeria still requires a great deal of prayer. Although I was just a young child, I was there at the battlefront during the Civil War—not as a soldier, but as a civilian who lived close to it. Based on what I witnessed, if given the choice between war and peace, I would pick peace.

Adeboye emphasized that “the country does not need more wars but to win the ones it is battling right now” because Nigeria is already engaged in multiple conflicts with kidnappers and terrorists, among other enemies.

“We already fight numerous wars in Nigeria; these conflicts are against kidnappers. Wars against terrorists are being waged. There are still areas in Nigeria where residents can never be certain that they won’t be murdered before the next morning, according to Adeboye.
He stated, “We’re still at war with some people who believe that if you’re a farmer and you plant, then what you’ve planted is food for their cows, and if your harvest is eaten by their cows and you complain, then they will kill you.”
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which is presided over by the president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, wanted to send soldiers to the Niger Republic, sparking controversy. Adeboye’s remark came in response.
Recall that on July 26, 2023, President Mohamed Bazoum’s legally elected government in the neighboring Niger Republic was overthrown by the military.

Following this, ECOWAS gave the coup’s perpetrators until last Sunday to restore Bazoum, 63, or face the threat of using force by sending troops from the 15-member ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) to compel a return to democracy.

The coup leaders remained defiant, and the deadline passed without any action despite Nigeria cutting off electrical supply to Nigeria amid a wave of economic repercussions, including border closure.