Fiery cleric and Lead Pastor of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has asked President Bola Tinubu to tender a public apology to communities ravaged by terrorism, banditry and kidnapping across Nigeria.
Delivering his monthly State of the Nation Address on Sunday in Lagos, Bakare said a national apology is the first genuine step toward healing and restoring the people’s trust in government.
He insisted that the Nigerian state must openly accept responsibility for decades of failure to protect citizens before any real progress can be made.
According to the outspoken pastor, the apology should come within the next three months and must be followed by concrete actions, including setting up a Victims and Survivors Register and immediate midterm compensation for affected families.
Bakare acknowledged that President Tinubu has taken some early steps to tackle the crisis, but stressed that without accountability and a clear acceptance of past and present failures, the cycle of violence will continue.
He described the current level of bloodshed as unacceptable, saying no government can claim legitimacy while citizens are slaughtered daily in their farms, homes and on the highways.
The cleric’s call adds to the growing chorus of voices demanding stronger leadership and bolder measures from the Tinubu administration as killings, abductions and rural banditry show no sign of slowing down in the North-West, North-East and parts of the Middle Belt.
As of Sunday evening, the Presidency was yet to respond to Pastor Bakare’s demand for a national apology to victims of insecurity.
