Conference of Prevailers Leadership Academy of the First Baptist Church, Ikeja.

By Funke Cole

As the 2023 general election draws near, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) Muyiwa Adejobi has impressed on the leadership of the church the need to educate their members on the right moral ethos in order to curb the spate of criminality in the society.

Adejobi, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) made this appeal in Lagos State, recently, as a guest speaker at the Prevailers Leadership Academy of the First Baptist Church, Ikeja.

The media minder of the Force who lauded the church leaders and members for their steadfastness, dedication and upliftment to mankind over the years, observed that the growing level of criminality in the society is a serious cause for concern.

While offering some security tips ahead of the 2023 general elections, Adejobi said no crime happens in isolation or by accident but are carefully planned and hatched by the suspects.

The country is passing through a lot of security challenges, he stressed, he therefore admonished the leaders to lead by examples.

“No crimes happen in isolation. It therefore behooves on people within the neighbourhood to pay the price of internal vigilance in order to see potential dangers and make informed decisions to contain such crimes,” he said.

Specifically, he said few days to the general elections and despite the biting economic crunch, unscrupulous persons in the society would attempt to profit from the misfortune of others by either trying to cajole, deceive gullible Nigerians on the need to aid and abet their criminality by snuffing or snatching ballot boxes, causing unrest, disaffection amongst the people.

As much as the security personnel would be on the lookout for persons who may be planning to commit such crimes, he was, however, quick to add that such criminals can be tracked even before they foment trouble if members of the public are willing to take the law enforcement agencies into confidence.

People, he emphasised, should be more security conscious of their environment particularly because of the reality of the times.

Fielding questions from journalists, the alumnus of the University of Ibadan, said, “Generally, if you want to have a better society, we must talk of personal transformation, visional transformation and structural transformation. So it cuts across everything. We talked to the church because we believe the church can still be a point of contact to as many people as possible.

“Many families, many businesses and many sectors of our society are all connected to this church one way or the other. So, I’m sure they’re going to further envangelised what I have shared with them today and talk to people on how we can have a better society.

“My intention is that I have come to talk to them but I believe that they will still escalate whatever message I have come to tell them and this is a sort of inspiration for me to do more. I think with what I have seen in churches today, people are well informed and they are even willing to support the police and the government by injecting new ideas into the system for a better society.”

As the Nigerians prepare to go to the polls in a few days, he reiterated that if everyone plays his or her part, the outcome of the process would be beneficial to all.

On the whistle blowing policy, he said it was being misconstrued as a policy meant for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), just to expose those who have embezzled money.

“But the whistle blowing policy should go beyond that. It has to do with exposing crimes and criminality in the society. Not only embezzlement, fraud, financial crimes and what have you. It must cut across all facets of our society. So, I think the federal government has done well. As such the National Orientation Agency should enlighten Nigerians more on the importance of whistle blowing policy so that Nigerians would know what they can use it for. They just think that if it doesn’t have anything to do with financial crimes they shouldn’t talk. No. The concept must be well understood and it must be extended to all areas of crimes and criminality in the society. Even rape, domestic violence, amongst others should fall into crimes reported under the whistle blowing policy.”

The highpoint of the occasion was the prayer ministration for Adejobi and his team including Benjamin Hudenyi, the PPRO of Lagos State Police Command by the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Reverend Dr Kolawole Ogokunle and other elders of the church, including Evangelism Coordinator, Pastor Dele Adegbite and a host of others.