The Biafran group had in an earlier statement advised Kumuyi to suspend a crusade scheduled to hold in Abia State.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has urged the Christian Association of Nigeria and the General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor Williams Kumuyi, not to ignore proper security advice.
The Biafran group had in an earlier statement advised Kumuyi to suspend a crusade scheduled to hold in Abia State.
IPOB had said Kumuyi and the organisers of the programme should analyse the current security situation in the South-East region and shelve plans to hold the crusade.
In a follow-up statement on Saturday signed by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB said if the church went ahead with the crusade and evil befell attendees at the event, the pastor would be held responsible.
IPOB, however, alleged that CAN had not met the expectations of the Christian community in Nigeria, claiming that the association was “playing politics and allowing Muslim fanatics to slaughter Christians everywhere in Nigeria.”
The statement reads, “We maintain our sincere advice to Pastor William Kumuyi of the Deeper Life Ministry on his planned crusade in Aba. This advice must be taken seriously and not ignored because if anything untoward happens to anyone in the said crusade, we will hold him responsible.
“CAN must understand that they have not met the expectations of their member and the Christian community in Nigeria. CAN is busy playing politics and allowing Muslim fanatics to slaughter Christians everywhere in Nigeria.
“It is unbelievable that the Christian Association of Nigeria would not summon the courage to fight for their members when Muslims and its security men attack and murder their members.
“They should however understand that IPOB will not fold its hands and watch our people deliberately put in harm’s way to be slaughtered because of crusade, when they know that politicians will employ their local thugs to slaughter people and tag it that IPOB was responsible for such attack.
”The Christian Association of Nigeria should rather appreciate the genuine advice from IPOB and ESN members for giving Pastor Kumuyi a security intelligence because we are here on the ground in Biafraland.
“Is CAN saying that insecurity cannot only be curbed with prayers? Where is CAN and what has been its reaction? IPOB does not have any issues with Kumuyi or other pastors or men and women of God for that matter; what we are talking about is the security of Biafrans.
“Pastor Kumuyi and CAN should publicly declare that they should be held responsible if any attack by those recruited by politicians and the Nigerian security apparatus should happen during this crusade.
“CAN should stop gambling with people's lives and Christians should understand that their lives matters. CAN should know that all politicians in Nigeria territory have criminal thugs they use to pursue a particular political interest and these people are not minding the repercussions or outcome, therefore we still advise Kumuyi and the ministry to think twice and stop this crusade.”
“Criminals in the region attacked INEC, Power Holding company, Schools, burial ceremonies, wedding ceremonies and blame it on peaceful IPOB and no media house or politician and Christian leadership will exonerate us because we are Biafrans, we don't need crusade at this time the security situation is very bad in the region. We won't allow unnecessary waste of lives in territory again.”