- Bishop Oliver Dashe says prayers have the power to crush Boko Haram
- Cleric urges Christians to intensify prayers against insecurity
- Dashe calls on government to support security forces in the fight against terrorists
The Catholic Bishop of Maiduguri Diocese, Most Rev. Oliver Dashe, has said only prayers can ultimately crush Boko Haram and restore lasting peace in Borno State and Nigeria.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Dashe made the declaration on Saturday while speaking with journalists after a church session held to mark the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Maiduguri, Borno State.
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The bishop urged Christians to intensify their prayers over the country’s security challenges, stressing that prayer remained a powerful weapon against terrorism.
“From the religious angle, we know that prayers will crush Boko Haram. However, we should know that as we pray, human beings must also do their work,” Dashe said.
He called on Christians to remain vigilant and committed to prayer, describing prayer as an important way of responding to the insecurity affecting the country.
“It is very important that Christians should be on alert, and one of the best ways to be alert is to be prayerful,” he added.
Dashe also commended the relative peace recorded in parts of Borno after more than a decade of Boko Haram insurgency.
He attributed the improvement partly to what he described as the intervention of Mother Mary, noting that residents who had previously fled their communities had returned.
The cleric, however, stressed that government authorities also had an important role to play in achieving lasting peace.
He called on the Federal Government and Borno State Government to provide security personnel with the necessary support to confront terrorists in their strongholds.
“Therefore, I call on the government, both at the federal and state levels, to do the needful in ensuring that security personnel are able to go to the forest and mountains in order to fetch these terrorists and their members for peace to return to our state and country at large,” he said.
The bishop spoke during activities marking the Catholic Feast of the Assumption, which he described as an important celebration for the church and the Maiduguri Diocese.
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