Pastor Tunde Bakare, the serving overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, has publicly called upon the Federal Government to immediately suspend all non-essential mass gatherings in vulnerable regions across the nation and place those areas under heightened emergency patrols.
Bakare delivered this urgent appeal during a State of the Nation news conference titled “The Darkness before Dawn,” held at his church in Lagos on Sunday, the 30th of November, 2025.
The cleric acknowledged that such drastic steps might be perceived as a militarisation of affected communities, but insisted they are necessary and temporary measures required to definitively neutralize terrorism in Nigeria.
The pastor emphasized the necessity of these actions, stating that “The suspension of mass gatherings and increased emergency patrols measures must be taken to prevent further mass kidnappings.”
He expressed deep concern that terrorist groups have intensified their operations against Nigerians following the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern due to alleged government-tolerated killings of Christians. Bakare cited a recent surge in violence: “In a space of one week, troops were ambushed and some killed, dozens of secondary school students abducted in Kebbi, worshippers in a church in Kwara attacked, kidnapped, some killed, and hundreds of students from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri town, Niger, kidnapped.”
He lamented that “The level of insecurity seems to have worsened in response to the global focus on Nigeria as terrorists and bandits brazenly dared the Nigerian state.” While celebrating the successful rescue of some victims, Bakare maintained that the ongoing attacks underscore the need for fundamental change. He argued that “These interventions go to the very essence of our nationhood and the quality of governance in both domestic and foreign policy contexts.”
Bakare attributed the crisis to years of failed leadership in addressing the nation’s core problems, observing sadly that “It is sad that it took the United States Congress, not the representatives elected by Nigerians (National Assembly) to convene a hearing on the lived experiences of citizens suffering under insecurity.”
To secure Nigeria’s place in the evolving global order, Bakare advocated for an integrated strategy involving a critical review of the country’s governance structures, security architecture, and geo-economic strategy. He recounted his consistent efforts towards national unity, stressing, “From convening the Save Nigeria Group to accepting the invitation to be running mate to the late president Muhammadu Buhari, to sponsoring the Nigerian Charter for National Reconciliation and Integration at the 2014 National Conference, I have been guided by a realisation.” That realization, he stated, is that “The best of the North and the best of the South must come together at the table of brotherhood to forge a strong and united Nigeria.”
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The cleric traced the roots of the current instability to the long-term failure of state institutions to address grievances, which has transformed localized disputes into vicious terror movements.
Specifically, he contended that “The state’s failure over decades to address long-standing disputes between Hausa farmers and Fulani pastoralists allowed local tensions to mutate into a sophisticated and deeply entrenched network of terror.” He insisted that “Whether the violent attacks are motivated by land grab, ethnicity, religion, or all of the above, the situation reflects the height of failure to guarantee security and welfare of the Nigerian people.”
Bakare asserted the state’s clear duty: “The Nigerian state has a responsibility to invade camps of armed marauders who hide under the cloak of herdsmen of whatever ethnicity, and who invade defenceless communities and gleefully massacre unarmed men, women, and children.”
Turning to the South East, the pastor noted the complexity of various regional movements, from Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to the Eastern Security Network (ESN), to the so-called unknown gunmen, noting that their actions have ranged “from a revolt against the Nigerian state to sheer criminality.” He added a critical point about the Biafran separatist movement, arguing that “The trial and sentencing of Biafran separatist Nnamdi Kanu, which took place at the same time that Donald Trump shifted the world’s attention to Nigeria, has tended to reopen old wounds.” He concluded that “It is time for Nigeria to truly heal from the Civil War. It is time for the Nigerian state to take concessionary steps to ensure equity for the South East.”
Finally, Bakare recalled the consensus among progressives at the 2014 National Conference regarding state creation, where they were convinced that Nigeria did not need additional states. He confirmed: “We strongly believed that what was needed was the consolidation of states into geopolitical zones, rather than the further balkanisation of non-viable states.”