Senate President Godswill Akpabio has called for the exposure and defeat of those sponsoring terrorism, kidnappings and violent attacks in Nigeria, saying the country must not lose hope despite the worsening insecurity troubling many communities.
Akpabio spoke on Sunday at an Inter-Denominational Church Service held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, as part of activities marking this year’s Democracy Day celebration.
The service, themed “God of Hope, Actualise our Dreams,” brought together top government officials and worshippers to reflect on Nigeria’s 27 years of uninterrupted democratic rule.
In a statement issued by his media office in Abuja, Akpabio said Nigerians must continue to pray for the sponsors of violence to be exposed, whether they are within government circles or outside them.
He said, “We must continue praying so that the evil doers and their sponsors shall be exposed in Jesus Name.
“If they are in government, they shall be exposed. If they are outside government, they shall be exposed in Jesus Name. Those sponsoring it, whether it is politically motivated or not, may they never have peace until they are defeated.”
The Senate President recalled that when he served as governor of Akwa Ibom State, he introduced monthly prayer sessions as part of efforts to confront kidnapping, militancy and killings in the state.
According to him, the prayer initiative was born out of the troubling security situation at the time.
“When I had the opportunity to serve as governor about 19 years ago, I started monthly prayer. I used to ask myself a question whenever there was militancy, kidnapping and killing. I would say, what if we were not praying?
“Today I want you to ask the same question, the things happening around us, what if we were not praying,” he said.
Akpabio acknowledged the pain and trauma caused by insecurity across the country, especially attacks on communities, abductions of children, and the fear now confronting farmers, travellers and families.
“There is no denying that insecurity continues to trouble our land. Communities have been attacked. Farmers fear returning to their fields. Travellers journey with uncertainty. Families mourn loved ones lost to violence and criminality,” he said.
The former Akwa Ibom governor said President Bola Tinubu had directed that this year’s Democracy Day be marked in a low-key manner because of the current situation in the country.
He, however, urged Nigerians not to give up, saying the country had survived political crises, economic hardship, insurgencies, pandemics and years of democratic uncertainty.
“We have survived political upheavals, economic turbulence. We will survive insurgencies. We have survived pandemics like Ebola and COVID-19 and seasons of despotism. Yet here we stand. Twenty-seven years of democratic governance. Twenty-seven years of constitutional order and hope renewed.
“But gratitude must never blind us to reality,” Akpabio said.
Speaking emotionally on the plight of abducted children and their families, Akpabio said the trauma of insecurity was deeply personal to him, recalling his experience as a child during the Nigerian Civil War.
“That is why my heart breaks for every child in captivity and every parent who lies awake through the long hours of the night, not knowing whether a son or daughter is safe, hungry, frightened or even alive.
“I know something of that anguish. Yet what I experienced as a child cannot be compared with the horror, humiliation, cruelty and unspeakable ordeal these innocent children have endured since their abduction.
“It is a tragedy that wounds the conscience of our nation. But I assure you, there is a brighter tomorrow. The evil you see today, you shall soon see no more,” he said.
Akpabio assured Nigerians that the Tinubu administration remained committed to restoring peace, ending insecurity and securing the release of all persons still being held in captivity.
“We shall continue to act together, pray together, and continue to persevere until our children are safely returned and our nation is secure,” he added.
