Prominent Christian cleric and outspoken advocate for justice, Prophet Isa El-Buba, has called on church leaders in Nigeria to move beyond issuing condolence statements and take bold, strategic action against the continuous killing of Christians across the country.
In a passionate statement shared on his X handle, El-Buba lamented what he described as “a dangerous silence” from church leadership amid the rising wave of targeted violence against Christians in states such as Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, and Borno.
“Nigeria is bleeding, not only from the bullets that pierce her soil but from the silence of those who should speak truth to power,” he wrote. “For more than two decades, the Church has watched as blood flowed from Zangon-Kataf to Jos, from Benue to Southern Kaduna, from Maiduguri to Plateau. Thousands have been killed, churches burnt, families displaced, yet the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) continues to issue statements that console but do not confront.”
El-Buba urged CAN to evolve from moral lamentation to strategic leadership, saying the time has come for the Church to protect its members and demand justice with courage. He proposed the creation of a Christian Security and Justice Desk to document attacks, provide legal aid to victims, and advocate accountability both nationally and internationally.
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“This is not the time for courtesy; it is the time for courage,” he declared. “Faith without work is dead, and leadership without courage is betrayal. CAN must stop managing its image and start defending its people.”
The fiery preacher criticized what he called the Church’s “courtesy to the powerful,” arguing that true leadership requires moral boldness, not political diplomacy. He stated that under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, the killings have intensified, citing the December 2023 Plateau massacre in which over 200 Christians were killed in a single night as “a chilling testament to national failure.”
El-Buba called on CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, to embrace a more prophetic form of leadership. “The prophets of old did not negotiate with kings; they confronted them. Elijah faced Ahab, Nathan rebuked David, and John the Baptist stood before Herod. The Church today must do the same,” he wrote.
According to him, prayer must now translate into policy and advocacy. “Prayer is power, but policy preserves progress. Every sermon must lead to strategy, and every confession of faith must produce action,” he said.
El-Buba concluded by declaring that Nigeria’s redemption will not come through diplomacy but through truth and bold confrontation with evil. “The time for appeasement is over. Silence is no longer holy; it is harmful. The Church must rise, not to manage peace, but to demand justice.”
