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| Pastor Akintunde Agun, DCC Chairman of CAC Oniwaya Lagos and lecturer at CACTS Lagos |
By Oladipo Oluwatosin
In the face of increasing attacks on churches and communities across Nigeria, Pastor Akintunde Agun, DCC Chairman of CAC Oniwaya Lagos and lecturer at CACTS Lagos, has issued a clarion call for what he describes as a Nehemiah 4 Security Strategy; a combination of prayer, vigilance, and practical defense measures.
Speaking as a watchman over the flock of God, Pastor Agun declared that the Church in Nigeria must no longer rely on prayer alone but must rise to defend its congregations with wisdom and structured preparation. Drawing insight from Nehemiah 4, he emphasized that the builders of Jerusalem’s walls “worked with one hand and held a weapon in the other,” indicating that faith and preparedness must go hand in hand.
According to him, “A church without security today is a city without walls. We must build spiritually, but we must also watch physically. Faith is never foolishness. Nehemiah prayed, but he also posted guards.”
Pastor Agun called for immediate upgrades in the security architecture of churches nationwide. He recommended investments in high-grade CCTV cameras, motion-sensitive lighting, panic alert systems, and drone monitoring for large gatherings. Additionally, he urged churches to engage trained professional security personnel, noting that ushers; though dedicated but are not trained to respond to armed attacks or crisis situations.
He stressed the need for information and intelligence sharing within Christian communities. Churches, he said, must set up intelligence units, collaborate with local security agencies, and ensure real-time communication across Christian networks. “What kills is not the danger that is announced, but the danger that arrives silently,” he warned.
Pastor Agun also used the platform to address the deeper roots of Nigeria’s security crisis. He urged the government to intensify educational campaigns in the North, arguing that ignorance, manipulation, and extremist indoctrination continue to fuel terrorism. “Ignorance is a weapon. When the mind is kept in darkness, violence becomes easy,” he said, quoting the Yoruba adage: “Ẹni tí a kọ́ ní bí a ṣe n pa ẹkùn, ó lè pa ẹni tó kọ́ ọ.”
(He who is taught how to kill a lion may one day turn the weapon against his teacher.)
Citing the Catholic church abductions, the CAC Eruku killings and kidnappings, and other attacks largely unreported, he lamented the political, religious, and economic interests hidden behind the wave of bloodshed. He noted that the same propaganda tools once used to unseat former President Goodluck Jonathan are resurfacing ahead of 2027, fueled by external remarks that paint Nigeria in a derogatory light.
“The rising killings are not random,” he asserted. “Some believe political power must be purchased with blood, just as Herod shed innocent lives to secure his throne. But the God who dethroned Herod and humbled Nebuchadnezzar will arise again for Nigeria.”
Pastor Agun concluded with a prophetic cry: “Enough of this silence. Enough of this national bleeding. As a watchman, I will not be quiet while the blood of the innocent cries. Every Nigerian life matters; Christian, Muslim, North, South. Nigeria shall not drown.”
He called on churches to pray like warriors, watch like soldiers, and build like Nehemiah’s men; combining spiritual strength with practical preparation.
