The General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has warned against the recurring trend of blaming Christian clerics for incidents of terrorism or violent attacks in Nigeria.
Speaking during a recent church service, Suleman expressed frustration over the tendency to accuse pastors of staying silent whenever insecurity escalates.
“You see all the attacks that are going on now—terrorism and all of that. And as soon as it happens, they call pastors, ‘Why are pastors not talking?’ You are wrong,” he said.
Suleman explained why he considers such criticism misplaced. “Have you ever heard somebody before he pulls a trigger say ‘praise the Lord’ and then harms someone? Or does he say ‘thank you Jesus’ before committing violence?” he asked.
The cleric argued that people should direct their concerns toward leaders of the religions associated with the perpetrators.
“The first people you should call are those in that religion. It’s their religious leaders you should call, not pastors. Pastors should speak for the sake of humanity. Does terrorism have a Christian nomenclature? What do they shout before they kill people?” he questioned.
The congregation responded with, “Allahu Akbar.” Suleman added, “Is that a Christian parlance? So why are you calling pastors?”
He concluded by emphasising that Christian leaders should not be held accountable for acts committed by groups outside their faith, and that public accountability should begin within the religious circles of the perpetrators.
