By Akan Mkpong

At the just concluded Ministers/Workers Retreat of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), held at the Redemption Camp, Kassa, Plateau State, the General Overseer of the Church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye gave the sure word of hope that peace would soon reign on the Plateau and Nigeria, at large.

The Pastor who was on a two-day pastoral visit to the security challenged state made his usual prophetic pronouncements which, many believe, would not fail. He speaks in the name of the Lord. How do I know this? In February, 2009, when a similar retreat was held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Governor Amaechi made a request for peace and security in his state. The man of God prayed and said that militancy and civil unrest in Rivers State would be consigned to history.

Yours truly was in that and did not take it kindly with the man of God for his daring-do. It was even difficult to say, “Amen”. Why? Niger Delta region was boiling, fear was the order of the day and the epic battle for emancipation was at its peak. Soldiers were afraid, and every security operative was cowed by the menacing presence of the freedom fighters. Foreigners were at the mercy of God and kidnapping was lucrative for the ransoms paid.

The fear of the militants was second to none. Unlike Boko Haram, the camps of the militants and their respective generals as well as their weapons of warfare were known. Major operations within and outside the creeks were made known before they struck with alacrity. There was an organised government in the creeks. Here were human beings that bullets respected their bodies. They could appear and disappear or turn into whatever they chose.

There is no gain saying that the militants were dangerous, frightful and daring. It was humanly impossible to broker peace with the devils incarnate because Satan has no peace in his dictionary. The governor knew that the issue of stopping the boys was icy, dicey, a death-lock. Diplomacy without God would breakdown. So he approached the man of God, in the presence of all, and humbled himself to God as the representative of his people and as the number one citizen of the boiling spot.