The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and Founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, have thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for recent military action against terrorism in Nigeria, urging Washington to do more to halt the unrelenting attacks.
Both clerics spoke at the “Faith Heroes Award Gala” in Washington D.C. on June 26, 2026, organised by Save Nigeria Group USA, SNGUSA, with the US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition.
The event honoured Trump, Congressmen Chris Smith and Riley Moore, and other advocates of religious freedom in Nigeria.
Addressing a packed audience of activists, policymakers and faith leaders at the Hilton Garden Inn, Capitol Hill, Adeboye said the scale of violence has moved beyond what any religious leader can handle alone.
“Terrorism is now at my doorstep,” he said. “If you want to help us, help us more.”
The RCCG leader, who had faced criticism for not speaking out earlier, said he chose “spiritual warfare” instead of public escalation. He noted that Trump’s December strikes on terrorist camps did not surprise him because the U.S. President had warned of consequences.
Citing Isaac Newton’s first law of motion, Adeboye said Nigeria is held back by “untouchables” — powerful actors who make the fight against terrorism difficult from within.
“There are certain people in my country that, I regret to say, are untouchable, and only God can deal with them. Use your influence to help us,” he told the U.S. audience.
He called for a global coalition led by the U.S., Britain, Australia and other Western allies to confront terrorist groups. While saying people of all faiths have suffered, he noted Christians have been prime targets and that none of the major ongoing attacks could be traced to Christians.
Adeboye disclosed that RCCG has opened an IDP camp for victims, providing food and relief, with plans for a secondary school and skills training. He put the number of displaced persons at about 11 million.
He stopped short of condemning President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying the Commander-in-Chief gives instructions while execution determines results. He said he had advised Tinubu to meet Trump to show seriousness before the December military action.
“To be a good politician, you must be able to speak two different things from the same mouth… And I like him because when he says: ‘I want to do this,’ you better get ready,” Adeboye said of Trump. “As he winds down the Iran war, he should complete the good work he started in December against terrorist camps in Nigeria.”
Bishop Oyedepo, absent in person but represented by pastors Deji Akin Abiri, Dayo Ojo, Jacob Sharpe and Seyi Adeyeri, said Nigeria is “virtually at the brink of collapse.”
“My heart bleeds,” his statement read.
Backing the “Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026,” Oyedepo cited U.S. Congressional findings that between 2009 and 2025, 50,000 to 125,000 Christians were killed and over 19,000 churches destroyed. The report, he said, puts Nigeria at 72 per cent of all Christians martyred worldwide.
He pointed to Fulani militias, Boko Haram and ISWAP, and referenced massacres in Benue and Plateau that claimed over 9,500 lives between 2023 and 2025. He supported designating those groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, FTOs, under international law.
“The intervention of the United States of America in Nigeria’s affairs is a most welcome one,” he said.
A former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, warned that Nigeria “risks losing the nation” if terrorists were allowed to overrun it. He cited the killing of 22 persons in Plateau State, and urged action against Fulani terrorist groups to prevent a caliphate.
Human rights advocate Dr. Katrina Swett, said America must leverage its power to help Nigeria. “Yes, the future is in the hands of Nigerians, but America has powerful leverage to do more,” she said.
The SNGUSA President, Stephen Osemwegie, said the mission would not be complete until “the entire terrorist network in Nigeria was dismantled.” He urged Congress to pass H.R. 7457, the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2025, and praised Smith and Moore for keeping Nigeria on the U.S. policy agenda.
The gala capped a week that began with a “Save Nigeria Rally” at McPherson Square near the White House, with 26 civil society groups participating.
For organisers, the Washington gathering was “both a tribute and a warning” — a tribute to those standing with persecuted Christians, and a warning that without global intervention, Africa’s most populous nation could further unravel.