• Pastor Enoch Adeboye has urged the Federal Government to give security chiefs a 90-day deadline to eliminate terrorists or resign
• The RCCG General Overseer said security officials must be held accountable for measurable results in tackling insecurity
• Adeboye called for the prosecution of terrorist sponsors, regardless of their status or influence

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has called on the Federal Government to give Nigeria’s security chiefs a 90-day deadline to eliminate terrorists or step down from their positions.

Adeboye made the remarks in a video shared on his X account on Tuesday, June 2, expressing deep concern over the country's persistent security challenges and urging decisive action against those responsible for violent attacks.

According to the cleric, security leaders must be held accountable for delivering tangible results in the fight against terrorism.

“You can only advise the commander-in-chief. You can’t command him, because if you command the commander-in-chief, then you become the commander of the commander-in-chief. That doesn’t make sense,” Adeboye said.

While noting that he had previously offered similar counsel to government authorities, he stressed the need for urgent intervention.

“What should we do now? I’m talking to you as my children. If I were asked to make suggestions, I would say quietly to our government, move fast. And tell our security chiefs, get rid of these terrorists within 90 days, or resign,” he stated.

The respected cleric also urged the government to go beyond targeting terrorists and focus on dismantling the networks that sustain them.

“When giving orders to the service chiefs this time around, we should make it clear to them that they are not only to eliminate the terrorists; they should eliminate their sponsors, no matter how influential they may be,” he said.

Adeboye recalled advising a former Nigerian president, now deceased, to issue a similar ultimatum to security agencies during the height of the Boko Haram insurgency.

According to him, the president acted on the recommendation by giving security chiefs a three-month deadline but failed to fully enforce the directive when the period expired.

“There was a president, unfortunately he’s dead now… who called the service chiefs together and said, I give you three months. Get rid of all these Boko Haram people, or resign,” he recounted.

Although he acknowledged that security operatives intensified efforts following the directive, Adeboye suggested that stronger follow-through could have produced better results.

The pastor explained that the video was originally recorded during the November 2025 Holy Ghost Service while responding to comments made by United States President Donald Trump regarding religious violence in Nigeria.

He reshared the clip amid recent allegations that he had endorsed a government, political party, or opposed planned protests against insecurity.

Earlier on Tuesday, RCCG issued a statement defending its General Overseer against what it described as recurring falsehoods and deliberate distortions of his public positions.

The church maintained that Adeboye has never campaigned for any political party or candidate, insisting that he has consistently encouraged responsible civic engagement without partisan involvement.

RCCG further rejected claims that the cleric has remained silent on national concerns, stating that he has repeatedly addressed issues such as insecurity, corruption, economic hardship, elections, governance, and leadership, often through “the language of moral guidance, prayer, and counsel rather than partisan political confrontation.”

The church also accused some commentators, bloggers, and media platforms of spreading inaccurate narratives about Adeboye’s views without proper verification, stressing its commitment to correcting misinformation surrounding its leader.

Terrorism has reduced drastically across Nigeria — Defence Minister Musa

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, said Nigeria has recorded significant progress in the fight against terrorism and insecurity, giving the country’s current security performance a score of between 65 and 70 percent.

The minister stated that although criminal activities such as terrorism and kidnapping still occur in parts of the country, the overall security situation has improved considerably compared to previous years.

According to him, no nation in the world is entirely free from crime and criminality, stressing that Nigeria’s security agencies have continued to make substantial gains in the fight against insurgency and violent crimes.