Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has said he will not encourage retaliation or religious violence despite recounting the killing of one of the church’s female pastors in northern Nigeria.
In a message shared on YouTube, Adeboye alleged that the pastor was attacked while conducting an early morning evangelism exercise near a mosque, where she was preaching, “Jesus loves you.” He also claimed the incident was not investigated by law enforcement. “The case was not even investigated. The police didn’t even come,” he said.
According to Adeboye, the killing angered many younger Christians, some of whom proposed retaliatory action, arguing that authorities had failed to act. He said he rejected the suggestion, warning that revenge could trigger wider conflict.
“I smiled because if I agreed that we should do what they said… even you will say, ‘I didn’t ask you to go that far,'” he said.
Adeboye stressed that he would not be the one to ignite religious hostilities in Nigeria, declaring, “If there’s going to be a spiritual war in Nigeria, I won’t be the one who will start it.” He urged Christians to respond to persecution with restraint and wisdom rather than violence.
