The Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), The Most Rev’d Henry Ndukuba, has urged the Federal Government to seek international assistance if it cannot curb the ongoing wave of violent attacks and persecution of Christians across the country.
Ndukuba made the call while addressing journalists at the consecration of 15 new bishops held at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Abuja.
Speaking on the rising cases of targeted violence, the cleric lamented that many pastors and their families remain in captivity after being abducted during church services.
“The persecution of Christians and the violence that is going on in this land is not something anybody can deny,” he said. “As I am talking to you now, we have some of our pastors who are kidnapped with their families, taken from their church, and they have not been released.
“If our authority, the government, cannot handle it, it is good for them to seek help. But at the due time, we will say what we should say,” he added.
Addressing the newly consecrated bishops, Ndukuba described their ordination as a call to sacrifice and service, urging them to embrace humility and perseverance.
“When Jesus calls us to follow him, he calls us to die to serve. We must take up our cross, be ready to suffer, and do God’s will,” he said.He expressed hope that the new bishops would be “instruments in God’s hands” to proclaim the gospel with courage and faithfulness, describing them as agents of transformation in their respective dioceses.
In his sermon, the Bishop of Kebbi, The Most Rev’d Edmund Akanya, admonished the bishops-elect to be peacemakers and bridge builders within the church, warning them against abuse of authority.
“Salt brings healing, and Jesus calls you salt. Do not go there and be fighting everybody. You have not been given that power to fight,” he cautioned.Akanya further warned against moral pitfalls that often derail church leaders, citing “money, women, and powerful members” as common sources of compromise.
He also addressed the growing influence of liberal ideologies in the global Anglican Communion, insisting that the Nigerian church would not abandon biblical teachings.
“The revisionist agendas of the western world must be resisted by the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Homosexuality, lesbianism, and all these lifestyles remain condemned by the Bible, and we stand by it. Nobody can change that,” he declared.
Akanya concluded by urging the newly consecrated bishops to remain steadfast examples of moral integrity. “You must shine as stars in a crooked and twisted generation,” he said.
