The National President of the Boys Brigade of Nigeria (BBN), Professor Samson Duna, has described the recent spate of attacks on churches and Christian communities across Nigeria as being driven by political interests.

He made the assertion during the Boys Brigade end-of-year thanksgiving service and the investiture of three national patrons, held at ECWA Goodnews Church, Suleja, Niger State.

Professor Duna acknowledged that persecution of Christians aligns with biblical teachings, noting that Christ foretold hostility against believers. However, he stressed the need for heightened vigilance.

“Christ said the world will hate Christians and attack them, but this calls for preparedness. Churches must now take security seriously to protect worshippers,” he said.

Expressing concern over the persistent attacks and abductions targeting churches, Duna said it would be unrealistic to ignore the political dimension of Nigeria’s current security challenges.

“We cannot dismiss the political angle to the security crisis. Some are driven by the quest for power, others by economic motives, while land disputes also contribute to the violence,” he stated.

He called on the government to step up efforts to safeguard innocent citizens, irrespective of their ethnic or religious backgrounds.

According to him, the core mission of the Boys Brigade is to promote Christian values among young people, nurturing them to become God-fearing individuals and future leaders.

Earlier, the President of the Boys Brigade, Niger State Council, and former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Jonathan Vatsa, said it would be an understatement to describe the situation as mere persecution, calling the attacks on churches and Christian communities deeply troubling and a failure of leadership.

Vatsa insisted that regardless of the motives behind the escalating violence, the government must fulfil its constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property.

“If the government cannot guarantee the safety of its citizens, then it loses the moral justification to seek their votes,” he said.

A major highlight of the event was the investiture of three Boys Brigade members from Niger State as national patrons. They are John Umoru of the University of Abuja, John Haruna Rike, and Dr. Abiodun Abraham Ayoola.