The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), His Eminence, Rev Dr Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, has called on all churches in the country to pray for the freedom of Leah Sharibu from the captivity of Boko Haram terrorists on Good Friday, 30 March 2018.
The CAN President, in a statement by his spokesman, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, said prayers for Leah are necessary since Christians are in a “Passion Week’ when, according to him, Jesus, out of passion, willingly submitted himself to be nailed to the cross to pay for the sins of the world, once and for all.
He said in the Week of Passion, Jesus, though sinless, was scourged by the Roman soldiers, was forced to carry His own the Cross through the streets of Jerusalem along what is known as the way of sorrows. Jesus was then crucified at Golgotha on the day before the Sabbath, buried and remained in the tomb until Sunday, the day after the Sabbath, after which he gloriously resurrected”
According to the CAN President, Passion Week represented a period when Jesus Christ truly revealed His passion for mankind through the sufferings He wwent through their behalf. Christians, he said should emulate Jesus and what he stood for in Passion Week.
He said, “We should be passionate in our worship of Jesus and in our proclamation of His Gospel! As He suffered for us, so should we be willing to suffer for the cause of following Him and proclaiming the message of His death and resurrection.
“It is against this background that the leadership of CAN is calling on every Christian nation-wide to stand in the gap for that innocent girl, Leah Sharib, at 12 noon on Good Friday, asking God to send His Angels to deliver her from the captivity as He did for Apostle Peter who was jailed unjustly.
“CAN is also reminding the Federal Government and the security agencies of the need to free Leah and other captives from captivity of the Boko Haram terrorists. It is high time our security operatives lived up to the expectations of the people. They should stop the spate of abductions of innocent citizens by terrorist as well as killings by Fulani herdsmen across the country while mounting adequate security for citizens of the country”
CAN, however, called on all Christians across the country to use the Passion Week to pray for Nigeria to be free from all forces of darkness including prayers for those who have lost their relations or property during the recent terror and herdsmen attacks.