Expecting Adeboye to lead protest at 84 makes no sense, says Bamiloye

Founder of Mount Zion Faith Ministries, Evangelist Mike Bamiloye, has defended the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, following criticism over the cleric’s recent remarks on insecurity in Nigeria.

Bamiloye, in a post on his Instagram page on Wednesday, accused bloggers and critics of misrepresenting Adeboye’s position, insisting that the revered cleric had merely spoken against the country’s worsening security challenges.

“This is what he said: many bloggers saw this, but they would misproject it. But he spoke against the evils,” Bamiloye wrote.

The defence comes after a video of Adeboye resurfaced on Tuesday, sparking debate online. In the video, originally recorded in November 2025, the RCCG leader urged the federal government to give security chiefs a 90-day ultimatum to eliminate terrorists or resign from office.

The video generated mixed reactions, with some social media users accusing Adeboye of supporting the government and discouraging planned protests against insecurity.

Responding to calls for the 84-year-old cleric to lead public demonstrations, Bamiloye said such expectations were unrealistic and inconsistent with Adeboye’s age and spiritual calling.

“And for all those who are expecting an 84-year-old man, servant of God, to lead a protest against a government, this does not make sense by virtue of his age and by the mandate of his calling,” he stated.

Bamiloye also addressed references to a 2020 protest march in which Adeboye participated during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, the action was not a personal political protest but part of a coordinated directive by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) in response to insecurity across the country.

“And for all those who said he led a protest, it was the instruction of CAN and PFN for every church to stage a protest against insecurity in the nation, and he complied and led his denomination too, just as some other churches did,” he said.

He added that the primary responsibility of the church is to pray for peace and seek divine intervention in the affairs of the nation.

“Our major responsibility as the Church of God is to continually pray for the peace of our nation and the intervention of God in the government,” Bamiloye stated.

The RCCG Public Relations Department had earlier clarified that a viral photograph showing Adeboye carrying a placard was taken during a peaceful prayer walk organised in 2020 under the Buhari administration and was not connected to any political campaign or protest against a former government.

The church also reiterated that Adeboye remains politically neutral and encourages members to participate in civic activities without endorsing any political party.