Serving overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), Pastor Tunde Bakare has lent his voice to the #ENDSARS campaign.
He said men of the Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) that spill innocent blood will pay with their lives.
Speaking during the second service of the church formerly known as the Latter Rain Assembly, Bakare, referencing the story of King David who was punished openly by God for his secretly sleeping with Uriah’s wife, said: “I have a final word for those officers and men of the SARS. You have spilled blood your blood will be spilled and others will learn from it.
“You have raped women and daughters, you have done evil – even your children will be raped right before your eyes.
“You don’t understand this. When David took another man’s wife, God said he did it in secret but one coming out of you will do it in the open. You will see and not be able to fight it. Then you will know that the foundation of God’s throne is justice,” he said.
Bakare praised those who have spoken out against police oppression and openly protested.
He underscored the need for the government to ensure justice is served so Nigerians don’t take laws into their hands.
“If we don’t want our citizens to take laws into their hands, then let justice roll like water.
“There is a threshold of decency below which no human being must fall, and I reject any status quo where citizens become disposable or the right to life becomes negotiable.
“I applaud the resilience of protesters in the face of yet more reckless cruelty, and I am increasingly confident that this generation will succeed where mine has failed.”
Despite the low level of pride in the Nigerians have in the nation, Bakare said Nigeria would rise again and not disintegrate.
He recalled the leadership role and the prominence of the country in the past – like paying the civil servants of Trinidad and Tobago for three years, lending to Dubai, having such a strong healthcare system the royal family of Saudi Arabia came to UCH for medical treatment, the competitive naira/dollar exchange rate of the 80s, and the county’s fight against apartheid in South Africa.
He lamented poor leadership, unpatriotism, tribalism, and sectional politics had eroded these gains.
Bakare said COVID-19 demonstrated how Nigerians had been their own enemies – with some leaders unable to enjoy quality health services when they needed it most.