Its Time To Declare Boko Haram, Others As Terrorist Organizations, Clergyman Tells Buhari
The President and General Overseer of United Apostolic Church of Christ, Dr James Bayo Owoyemi yesterday said that President Muhammadu Buhari should immediately declare Boko Haram and bandits terrorising the country as terrorist organizations.
Owoyemi said in Akure that “any organization responsible for the killing of innocent people and displacing of millions of Nigerians are terrorists, even if the Federal government has not declared them as such.
He was in the state capital for the annual convention of the Church.
“The duty of the government at all level is to protect its citizens and if some people are making that job difficult, it should not fail to invoke the law to punish the offenders.
“From the definition of terrorism, those who engage in termination of lives are terrorists even if the government has not declared them as terrorists, they are terrorists.”
The cleric expressed delight in the removal of Nigeria from the religious violators country, Dr Owoyemi said the constitution of the country allows for freedom of religion.
Owoyemi described it as a welcome development.
“We have Christians in all parts of the country. Christianity has faced persecution from the beginning. The US was right to have removed Nigeria from religious intolerance nation.”
” Nigeria was missing from the list of countries designated in the 2021 list for religious violations.
Owoyemi ruled out the possibility of turning the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) into a political party.
According to him, the organization would put pressure on the government to do the right thing for its citizens.
He said Christian leaders would not allow the association to be politicized.
Speaking on the church’s annual convention, Owoyemi said the United Apostolic Church of Christ, a Christian denomination of the Apostolic order was established in 1965 after a few men of God were inspired by Holy Spirit to start the Church.
The convention with the title ‘Good Shepherd ‘ marks Owoyemi’s one year in office as the President and General Overseer of the Church.
