Pastor Tunde Bakare, the Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, has urged the Federal Government to suspend all non-essential mass gatherings in vulnerable areas as part of urgent community safety measures to curb the rising wave of terrorism and mass kidnappings across the country.
Speaking on Sunday at a State of the Nation news conference titled “The Darkness Before Dawn” in Lagos, Bakare said the government must deploy emergency patrols to high-risk communities, insisting that the steps—though seemingly militaristic, are temporary but necessary to protect lives.
“The suspension of mass gatherings and increased emergency patrols must be taken to prevent further mass kidnappings,” he said.
Bakare expressed concern that terrorists have intensified attacks since the U.S. redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged government-tolerated killings of Christians. He listed a string of recent incidents, including the ambush of troops, the abduction of schoolchildren in Kebbi and Niger States, and the attack on worshippers in Kwara.
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While he welcomed the release and escape of some abducted victims, the cleric said the ongoing assaults expose deep failures in national governance and security management. According to him, decades of unresolved conflicts and weak institutions have allowed terrorism to evolve into a sophisticated, deeply rooted threat.
He criticised the National Assembly for failing to adequately represent the suffering of citizens, noting that it took the U.S. Congress not Nigerian lawmakers to convene a hearing on Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
Bakare urged the government to adopt an integrated approach involving governance reform, restructuring of the security architecture, and a new geo-economic strategy to reposition the nation. He added that farmer–herder clashes, separatist tensions, and unchecked banditry highlight the need for stronger community safety measures nationwide.
The cleric also called for equity for the South-East and emphasised the need for Nigeria to heal from longstanding grievances, stressing that true unity will require courage, justice, and a renewed commitment to nation-building.