The Nigerian Baptist Convention has condemned the activities of the Boko Haram sect, stressing that it was high time the Federal Government beefed up security in the country.

This statement was made during a press conference at the national secretariat of the church in Ibadan, Oyo State.

According to the General Secretary of the convention, Reverend Dr S. O. Ayokunle, “the Islamic fundamentalists called Boko Haram arose of recent to condemn Western education and to begin unwarranted bombing of public utilities, police stations, churches and innocent citizens to the consternation of everyone.”

Condemning their activities, Ayokunle said these acts depicted that they lacked the fear of God, adding that they attached no value to peaceful co-existence, human life and dignity.

“If it is religion that has drawn them to that extreme, such a religious belief must be seen as undesirable in this country, because in Nigeria, we value peace and human life. We urge the government to give the security agents better training, in order to forestall the activities of these reckless bombers,” he said.

Speaking on the issue of Islamic banking, Ayokunle also called on the government to stop the governor of the Central Bank Nigeria (CBN) from granting licence of operation to that bank.

“We need to remind all here that our position is not because we hate Islam, but our position is borne out of the fact that Nigeria is a secular nation. Using our resources to train the Muslim alone for such a bank is a violation of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. If the governor of the CBN is not promoting any religion in this country, let him just introduce interest-free banking, which will be for all Nigerians, irrespective of their religious adherence,” he said.