By Babs Oyetoro and Ben Adoga, with agency report
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to issue a 90-day ultimatum to Nigeria’s security chiefs to end terrorism or vacate their offices.
This came as nationwide outrage intensified over rising insecurity and recurring school abductions.
Adeboye, who spoke in a video posted on his X handle, called for decisive action against terrorists and their alleged sponsors, insisting that security agencies must be held accountable for results in the fight against violent crimes across the country.
The cleric said the worsening security crisis required urgent intervention, stressing that government must demonstrate stronger resolve in confronting insurgents and criminal networks terrorising communities.
“You can only advise the commander-in-chief. You can’t command him, because if you command the commander-in-chief, then you become the commander of the commander-in-chief,” he said.
He added, “If I were asked to make suggestions, I would say quietly to our government, move fast. And tell our security chiefs, get rid of these terrorists within 90 days, or resign.”
Adeboye further urged authorities to extend the crackdown beyond armed groups to include individuals allegedly financing or aiding terrorism, irrespective of their influence or political standing.
“When giving orders to the service chiefs this time around, we should make it clear to them that they are not only to eliminate the terrorists; they should eliminate their sponsors, no matter how influential they may be,” he stated.
The cleric recalled that a former Nigerian president had issued a similar directive to military chiefs during the height of the Boko Haram insurgency, but lamented that the order was not fully enforced after the deadline expired.
“There was a president, unfortunately he’s dead now, who called the service chiefs together and said, ‘I give you three months. Get rid of all these Boko Haram people, or resign,'” he said.
According to Adeboye, the experience informed his current position that security authorities must be compelled to deliver measurable results against terrorism.
The renewed remarks came amid allegations circulating online that the RCCG leader had endorsed a political party or opposed planned protests against insecurity.
Responding to the claims earlier on Tuesday, the RCCG defended Adeboye against what it described as deliberate distortions of his comments and public interventions.
In the statement, the church said both Adeboye and the ministry had repeatedly been subjected to false narratives and misleading political interpretations.
The church dismissed allegations that the cleric campaigned for any government or political party, insisting that he had consistently encouraged civic responsibility without endorsing candidates.
It also denied claims that Adeboye had remained silent on pressing national issues, maintaining that he had repeatedly spoken on insecurity, corruption, governance and economic hardship through moral guidance and public counsel.
*NUT storms streets nationwide over school abductions
Meanwhile, anger over the abduction of teachers and pupils in Oyo State spilt onto the streets nationwide on Tuesday as members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), labour unions and civil society groups staged coordinated protests across several states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The demonstrations, which took place in Lagos, Plateau, Kano, Rivers, Taraba, Edo, Ogun, Yobe, Adamawa and Abuja, followed growing concerns over attacks on schools and fears that persistent insecurity could cripple the country’s education system.
The protesters accused authorities of failing to protect schools adequately, demanding immediate rescue operations for the abducted teachers and pupils from Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
In Abuja, demonstrators marched to the Federal Capital Territory Administration Secretariat, where the FCT Minister assured them that security agencies were intensifying efforts to rescue the victims.
“We are all concerned about this security situation. The government is on its toes to ensure that those who are kidnapped are rescued,” Wike said.
The Minister cautioned against politicising insecurity, warning that attacks on schools and communities should be treated as a national emergency requiring collective action.
“We are all concerned, but let us not politicise issues. That is what I will not support,” he added.
Wike also disclosed that security operatives were making progress in efforts to free the abducted victims.
“There is no government that will deliberately say let citizens be kidnapped, but we know where we found ourselves, and we know that everything possible is being done,” he stated.
In Lagos, teachers marched through major streets before converging on the Lagos State House of Assembly, where they demanded urgent intervention by the Federal Government and security agencies.
Chairman of the Lagos State NUT, Hassan Akintoye, described the continued captivity of the victims as an attack on the education sector and warned that schools must never become targets for criminal violence.
“We cannot begin to imagine the pain, fear and trauma that the kidnapped students and their teachers have endured,” he said.
“Our appeal is to both the Federal Government and the Oyo State Government to intensify efforts and take urgent action to secure their safe and unconditional release.”
In Plateau State, teachers marched through Jos demanding the immediate rescue of the abducted victims and warning that recurring attacks on schools posed a major threat to education nationwide.
Plateau NUT Chairman, Elisha Ayimani, said the union would suspend academic activities until the victims regained freedom.
The protesters later submitted a letter of protest to the Governor at the New Government House in Little Rayfield.
Teachers and students also joined protests in Kano, Taraba, Edo, Ogun, Yobe, Adamawa and Rivers states, where demonstrators demanded stronger security measures around schools and immediate action to rescue all abducted victims.
In Benin City, Edo State NUT Chairman, Lucky Imarouagheru, led protesters through major roads carrying placards condemning the May 15 attack in Oyo State.
In Ogun State, members of the Nigeria Labour Congress and civil society organisations joined teachers in protests held in Abeokuta, urging security agencies to adopt more effective rescue operations.
Yobe State NUT Deputy Chairman, Ali Abubakar, described repeated attacks on schools as a serious setback to educational development, while teachers in Adamawa marched through Yola demanding improved security protection for schools.
At the Government House in Yola, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr Edgar Amos, assured protesters that the government remained committed to protecting lives and strengthening school security.
In Rivers State, protesters marched to the Government House in Port Harcourt, where the State NUT Secretary, Bassey Asuquo, declared that schools must remain safe spaces for children.
Responding on behalf of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the Commissioner for Education, Dr Peters Nwagor, assured the union of government support toward rescuing the victims and improving security around schools.
The latest demonstrations followed an earlier protest by civil society organisations in Ibadan on Monday over worsening attacks on schools and growing insecurity in parts of the country.
The nationwide protests have further mounted pressure on security agencies and the Federal Government amid fears that repeated attacks on educational institutions could worsen Nigeria’s learning crisis and discourage school attendance across affected communities.
