The Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S) Church has stressed that with the current kinetic approach to security challenges in the country not yielding the desired results, dialogue and non-kinetic strategies should be employed to tackle the issue.

The church, while emphasising that resolving the country’s security challenges required a holistic approach, said that religious extremism had led to the radicalisation of some citizens.

According to the Secretary of the church, Superintendent General Apostle (Prof.) Iyiomo Oyetakin, during a media briefing held at the family house of the founder of the church in Ikare-Akoko, St. Moses Orimolade Tunolase, to herald the church’s centenary anniversary, efforts must be made in de-radicalising extremists.

Oyetakin, who stated that the church remains committed to praying for political leaders and traditional rulers, as well as interceding for lasting peace within Nigeria and throughout the world, said: “If some nations have achieved zero crime levels and even closed down their prisons, such transformation is possible in Nigeria as well.

“Religious extremism has led to the radicalisation of some citizens. Both federal and state governments must implement comprehensive de-radicalisation programmes, coordinated by NIREC, the National Orientation Agency, and credible civil society organisations (CSOs).”

The church also called on the government to implement economic reforms to ameliorate socio-economic challenges facing the country, adding that advanced technology and transparent governance mechanisms should be employed to combat corruption to ensure that national resources serve the welfare of the people.

The Secretary, who disassociated the church from unbiblical teachings and doctrines, emphasised that the founder was never involved in any fetish act.
He, however, described the purported attempts by some individuals to rewrite the history of the church as futile, emphasising that the church remains committed to fostering unity within the global C&S community, adding that “St. Moses Orimolade Tunolase is the sole founder of the church.”

“However, despite tremendous growth and expansion, some strange doctrines have crept in, deviating from the foundation laid by Baba Orimolade.

“As true bearers of his mantle, we unequivocally state that the use of red, black, or coloured candles was never practised by Baba Orimolade.

“Likewise, the Ark of the Covenant (Apoti-Eri) and other blood-letting practices that are negatively affecting the image of the church are deviations from his teachings. We, hereby, advise those engaging in such practices to desist immediately.

“We also plead with other C&S churches that have adopted strange doctrines to return to the foundation laid by Orimolade, as the doctrine he left behind remains the only solution to safeguarding the church from agents of darkness and fraudsters,” he said.