Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
On the final day of a three‑day national fasting and prayer programme that ended on Sunday, May 24, 2026, members of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) took to the streets in at least two states to protest the worsening security crisis, carrying placards that read “No to insecurity,” “Nigeria must be safe,” “Stop the killings,” “Protect the innocent” and “Enough is enough”. The protests, which were held shortly after prayers at House of Kings and Priests in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, and also in Kano, involved hundreds of believers, including the Lagos State PFN Chairman, Pastor Yemi Davids, who read the Fellowship’s national address on behalf of its President, Bishop Francis Wale Oke. Although the PFN Lagos State Chairman, Pastor Yemi Davids, officially spoke on behalf of the National President, a number of prominent church leaders including Pastor Emmanuel Iren of Celebration Church International and Pastor Poju Oyemade of The Covenant Nation were physically present at the national gathering, standing in solidarity with the protest action.
The street demonstrations marked the climax of a three‑day national fasting and prayer programme that the PFN had declared earlier in May to seek divine intervention for peace, national healing, economic recovery and credible elections. The programme was timed to coincide with the 2026 Global Pentecost Day celebration. At the close of the fasting and prayer gathering, however, the Fellowship moved decisively from supplication to public advocacy, insisting that “silence aids the killer and their sponsors”.
In Abakaliki, PFN members marched peacefully, displaying placards while the Ebonyi State Chairman of PFN, Wilberforce Oti, read the National President’s address. In Kano, the Kano State PFN Chairman, Reverend Elkanah Enweluzor, delivered the same message on behalf of Bishop Oke. The National President himself, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, was represented by the Lagos State PFN Chairman, Pastor Yemi Davids, at the national prayer gathering, where the decision to protest was finally announced. Among the notable clergy present at the national gathering in Lagos were Pastor Emmanuel Iren, Pastor Poju Oyemade, Pastor Leke Adeboye and the PFN Lagos State Vice Chairman, Rev. Janet Dolapo Onaolapo.
The PFN’s statement described Nigeria’s security situation as having reached “intolerable and unacceptable levels”, warning that several states – including Oyo, Kwara, Taraba, Plateau, Benue, Southern Kaduna, Edo, Kogi and Ondo – have effectively become “killing fields”. The Fellowship listed recent tragedies that prompted the protest, including the prolonged captivity of the Chibok schoolgirls and Leah Sharibu, the mob killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, and the attack on schools in Oyo State that led to the abduction of teachers and pupils and the beheading of teacher Michael Oyedokun. Bishop Oke, speaking through his representatives, accused political leaders of prioritising electoral calculations over the security of citizens, and sharply criticised the government’s rehabilitation programme for “repentant” Boko Haram insurgents, warning that reports of their integration into security structures undermine public trust in the justice system and embolden killers.
The PFN’s protest also carried a direct message to the Federal Government: that protecting lives and property is the “primary constitutional responsibility of government at all levels” and that international collaboration must be urgently sought to address the worsening crisis. The Fellowship warned that insecurity was eroding national unity, driving skilled Nigerians abroad and discouraging investment, while also expressing concern that repeated attacks risk normalising violence and desensitising citizens. The PFN announced that its National Executive Council had met on May 19 and resolved not only to fast and pray but also to speak publicly against the security crisis. “We have fasted. We have prayed. Now we speak,” the statement said.
The PFN further condemned what it described as the “deliberate normalisation of violence”, and called on the Federal Government to immediately overhaul the nation’s security architecture, while also urging churches across the country to speak with one voice against the worsening insecurity. The Fellowship directed its members to remain law‑abiding and peaceful throughout the protests, which were concluded without any reported arrests or confrontations with security forces.
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