Oyedepo Urges Members to Give Kidnappers His Phone Number

Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, instructed members of his congregation to provide his phone number to kidnappers if they are abducted, asserting that he holds the spiritual authority to ensure their release. The remarks came during a recent service at the church's Canaanland headquarters in Ota, Ogun State, with a video clip of the sermon circulating widely on social media this week.

Oyedepo, who leads one of Nigeria's largest Pentecostal churches, framed his directive as an exercise of divine power amid the country's ongoing security challenges. Kidnapping has plagued Nigeria for years, affecting people across religious and social lines, including students, clergy, and ordinary citizens, often resolved only after ransom payments. The bishop shared two personal accounts of interventions involving church members to illustrate his point.

In the first incident, Oyedepo described how a pastor affiliated with the ministry was taken by kidnappers. When the abductors contacted the church, he said he took the phone and issued a direct warning. "One time, one of our pastors was carried by kidnappers," he recounted. "I said, give them the phone. I said, in...