Tinubu Can’t Join Combat Operations Against Terrorists – Commentator

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and senior cleric, has defended President Bola Tinubu against mounting condemnation over the deepening insecurity across the country.

Speaking on the concerns over the increasing wave of terrorism, kidnappings and violent attacks across the country at the US-Nigeria faith heroes award gala organized by the Save Nigeria Group in Washington, D.C. on June 23, Adeboye said Tinubu should only give instructions on how to deal with insecurity in Nigeria and cannot be blamed for failing to personally confront terrorists on the battlefield.
“Let me be clear on this: I’m not on the side of those who are saying the president is not doing enough. When the commander-in-chief has given instructions to his subordinates he has done his part. “You don’t expect him to go and put on khaki and (fight)” he said.

Making a comparison with the United States, Adeboye said President Donald Trump was an example of how the commander-in-chief makes military decisions without personally engaging in combat.

“When my friend Trump says go bomb anywhere, he does not leave the White House.

“He did his thing. ‘I order, bomb Iran’, and then he goes to his bedroom and sleeps. The rest is up to the supporters.

While defending Tinubu, the cleric admitted that Nigeria’s security crisis had worsened considerably, revealing that terrorist activities had spread from northern Nigeria to the southern part of the country, including areas close to him.

“Things have gone far, far worse than before the bomb came,” he said, referring to the United States bombing of Islamist terrorists last December.

Much, much worse… so bad that they are saying, ‘Where is your God?’ It’s that bad.
“The terrorism, kidnapping and all that which was in the north is now at my doorstep. They’ve come all the way down south. And, of course, the sponsors, they are all known, and still walking about free.”

Adeboye said he personally called President Tinubu and wife, Senator Oluremi, an RCCG pastor, to discuss Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation.

He said he had pressed the president to give a stern ultimatum to military commanders across the armed forces.

I told them to tell all the military people: ‘You’ve got 90 days. Get rid of this rubbish or leave.’ And then deal with the supporters, the sponsors.”

Adeboye said the real brains behind terrorism were not the gunmen that carried out the attacks but the influential people who financed and armed them.

“You know them,” he said, referring to a previous public appeal to the presidency.

Some of them are business men. Some of them are politicians. Go get ’em. Because if you do not go after those that are supplying these people with arms and ammunition and most of the time they go about they go about on motorcycles, if we do not go after the sponsors the problem will continue.”

Adeboye also appealed to the United States and other members of the international community to increase collaboration with Nigeria in the fight against terrorism.

Fighting insurgency, he said, was not about fighting the fighters but going after those bankrolling violent groups.