Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has issued a strong demand to the Federal Government, calling for the immediate execution of anyone caught committing terrorism and kidnapping without the option of a court trial. In a statement released on Sunday, July 26, 2026, the cleric argued that the judicial process has become a stumbling block to justice, allowing criminals to escape severe punishment. He urged the Nigerian government to cancel court charges for arrested kidnappers and terrorists, insisting that "once they have been arrested and confirmed as terrorists, they should be killed immediately."
The statement, signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, comes amid escalating insecurity across Nigeria, where bandits, terrorists, and kidnappers have continued to unleash violence on communities, abduct schoolchildren, and demand huge ransoms. Primate Ayodele said that the current approach of charging suspects to court has failed to deter criminals and that only the immediate death penalty can drastically reduce terrorism. "There should be no court for kidnappers and terrorists; once they have been arrested and confirmed as terrorists, they should be killed immediately. There is no need charging them to court because they won't get the deserved punishment," he said.
Beyond the execution of criminals, the cleric also took aim at the culture of negotiation and ransom payment, which he described as a major enabler of insecurity. He called for the arrest of anyone, including state governors, who engages in negotiations with terrorists or pays ransom for the release of victims. "Everyone talking to them for negotiation should also be arrested, including governors that pay ransom to them," he declared. "Such crimes should attract the immediate death penalty, and those talking to them and paying ransom should also be arrested; this is how terrorism can end."
Primate Ayodele also commended the Nigerian military for its efforts in the fight against insecurity, specifically praising the Minister of Defence's "shoot-at-sight" order against terrorists. He expressed belief that if such a policy had been implemented earlier, terrorism would have come to an end. "The Nigerian army can do better; there are people who want to destroy the government with insecurity. Kudos to the Minister of Defence on the shoot-at-sight for terrorists; if they have done it before, terrorism will come to an end," he said. He also urged President Bola Tinubu to honour soldiers and top military officers for their service, saying, "They have done very well and should be appreciated for their good jobs."
The cleric also warned against the proliferation of privately owned security agencies, cautioning that if they are not adequately funded, they could mutate into terrorist groups. "If there are too many personal security agencies and not adequately funded, they can amount to terrorists. Transform local hunters and let them have their bases inside bushes," he advised. In a separate plea, he called on the government to ensure the protection of Plateau cleric Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, whose family members were recently killed in an attack. "Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo must be protected by all means; the government must ensure he is well protected because if anything happens to him, it will be seen as the highest form of Christian genocide," he warned.
Primate Ayodele's call for immediate execution is not new. In February 2024, he had similarly urged President Tinubu to enact the death sentence for anyone caught kidnapping, warning that failure to implement capital punishment could lead to the invasion of the Presidential Villa and the abduction of top government officials. He had also advised against negotiating with terrorists, saying that using mediators, including Islamic clerics, could worsen the situation.
The latest declaration by the influential cleric is likely to reignite the national debate over the appropriate response to terrorism and kidnapping. While some Nigerians may agree with his hardline stance, human rights advocates are expected to push back, arguing that extrajudicial killings would violate due process and constitutional rights. However, for millions of Nigerians who have grown weary of the endless cycle of violence, Primate Ayodele's message may resonate as a desperate call for a more decisive and ruthless approach to ending the terror that has held the nation captive.
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