The Apostolic Faith Church has revealed that it now conducts its worship services under the protection of heavily armed security personnel as attacks on religious centres continue to rise across the country.
A member of the church’s Board of Trustees for West and Central Africa, Prof. Joseph Oba Fatoba, disclosed this during a visit to the Ondo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists as part of activities for the 2025 Ondo/Ekiti camp meeting.
Fatoba, who expressed concern over the worsening security situation nationwide, said the threat of bandit attacks had made it necessary for churches to adopt heightened safety measures during services.
“For some time now, we have had security men guiding our services. Formerly, it was not like that. On Sundays, while people are worshipping, there must be security men on duty. We don’t want any problem to arise unexpectedly.
“Insecurity affects everybody, Christians, Muslims, and others. It is now a national issue. If we try to tie it only to religion, we may fail in fighting it. The devil is behind what is happening,” he said.
He added that the country’s security challenges require more than political interventions, insisting that only collective national prayer can bring lasting relief.
According to him, the church has already begun intensive daily and weekly prayer sessions open to all Nigerians, noting that the programme started two weeks ago as part of efforts to seek divine intervention for the nation.
Responding, the Ondo NUJ leadership commended the church for interceding for the country through prayers. The council’s chairman, Leke Adegbite, remarked that in some countries, “a fraction of what we face would have scattered them. But God has been merciful because of men and women who pray silently for this nation.”