The founder and Set-Man of Word Communication Ministries (WOCOM) with headquarters in Ibadan, Oyo State, Apostle Sunday A. Popoola, has berated security agencies for leaving their primary duties aside and pursuing Christian leaders for voicing out their concerns about issues affecting the nation.
Apostle Popoola, who is also the founding pastor of Christ Family Assembly churches and immediate past chairman of the Pentecostal Federation of Nigeria, Oyo State chapter, in a release, urged the security agencies to go after the criminals killing innocent Nigerians rather than after those condemning the act.
The statement read in part: “We condemn unequivocally the harassment of Apostle Johnson Suleiman, Senior Pastor of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide, by the Department of State Services (DSS) and praise the effort of Governor Ayo Fayose in protecting him.
“We believe that every Nigerian has the right to self defence, especially where the people voted into power have left the majority at the mercy of a favoured few.
“From available facts, Apostle Suleiman heard that some herdsmen were targeting him and his church and told his people to act and defend themselves. There is nothing unlawful in that. The DSS should set themselves at helping to arrest those who committed the massacre of innocent Christians in Kaduna and other places in the nation rather than pursuing shadows.
“Trying to arrest Apostle Suleiman for crying out in self-defence discredits the government and its security agents. Such acts of assault against the church must stop.
“We wonder how the DSS who have demonstrated absolute helplessness in the face of a grave national crime could be pursuing a man who is contributing, in no small measure, to building a sane and safe society for arrest unless there is a conscious attempt at malice.
“The DSS should use the resources of the nation to defend all Nigerians without prejudice. They should pursue criminals killing innocent Nigerians, including vulnerable women, elderly people, children and leave men of God alone to pursue their spiritual assignments without hinderance.”