NIFROP embarks on love, peace campaign to churches, mosques to defeat Boko Haram

An inter-faith group, National Inter-Faith and Religious Organizations for Peace (NIFROP), said it is resolved to embark on love, peace and unity campaigns to churches and mosques across the country in a bid to defeat Boko Haram ideology while also canvassing support for the Nigerian military.

NIFROP, an organization comprising of Christian and Muslim faithful, has since inception several years ago been in the vanguard of preaching peaceful coexistence in Nigeria, leading to convocation of seminars and religious programmes that have brought adherents of different religions in the country under one roof and one voice for the peace and unity of the country.

The group made this known in a communique issued at the end of a 21-day prayer and fast for the unity and peace of the country at the Unity Fountain, Abuja.

In a communique co-signed by Bishop Prince J Madaki, Bishop Lawrence Ngene, Sheik Ahmad Jiddah Umar and Sheik Ja,afaru Kantoma, the group said this direction was divine and must be strictly adhered to.

According to the clerics, the campaign is geared towards frustrating the agents of destabilization using Boko Haram to cause a religious war in the country.

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The group, while noting that these terrorists had nothing to do with Christianity or Islam, however, enjoined every cleric in the country to join the campaign by going all out to preach the gospel of love and unity of Nigeria.

“That every cleric in Nigeria should go all out to preach the gospel of love and unity of Nigeria, as stated in the book of Romans 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake, we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

“That the Pastors and Imams who attended the 21 days of fasting and prayers should make it a duty to pray every Friday and Sunday for President Muhammadu Buhari and his cabinet to lead the nation without fear and the wisdom of God as stated in the book of Luke Chapter 1vs 50. ‘And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him.’ And in Chapter 9 vs. 19 in the Holy Koran, ‘Have you made the providing of water for the pilgrim and the maintenance of al-Masjid al-Haram equal to the deeds of one who believes in Allah and the Last Day and strives in the cause of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.’

‘That all Clerics in Nigeria should continue to pray for the leadership of the Nigerian military and other security agencies defending the nation from terrorists and their sponsors as exemplified in the book of 1 Timothy 2:1-2 – ‘I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness,” the communique said.