Church leaders back fight against illegal migrations, threaten sanction on colluding pastors
SEVERAL church leaders from various denominations have met in Benin City, Edo State to add their voices to the campaign against human trafficking and illegal migration, threatening sanction against any pastor found to be aiding the practice.
The event was organised by the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN
In his remarks, national president, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN, Rev Felix Omobude also advised that the church should go back to the basics of Christianity founded on salvation and faith
"I have travelled to Italy and met with a lot of our people and tried to let them express the true position of things to the people at home
I have visited one or two of the prisons in Italy and my heart broke at the number of our children that are languishing in jail.
"We must take our stance as a church that what is wrong is wrong whether poverty or not, we must not condescend so low to give ourselves to this evil practice and I will like to see church leaders stand strong on it. Some of us we went to farm, I tapped rubber to go to school, I sold newspaper in this town, we must highlight our values.
"While we engage government and other public institutions to provide for our people, we must be resolute no situa- tion should make us allow our children to migrate illegally. I have met pastors who will say my daughter in Brussels bought me a car and you don't really know what many of them are doing you will say my daughter in Glasgow. It is time we face reality in this meeting, we must resolve that any pastor or man of God, or prophet with a cross in the neck that support or aid or abet illegal migration, wherever he is, he is should be identified, should be sanctioned CAN should publicly disown such a pastor. Such pastors that bring disgrace to us, will not leave to enjoy his booties, grace will run out of him. Let us go back to the basics, we were raised up to believe that salvation is by faith."