Archbishop Leonard Bature Kawas has alleged that unidentified individuals are sponsoring terrorism, banditry and kidnapping in an attempt to undermine President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
President-General of the Charismatic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Leonard Bature Kawas, has alleged that some individuals are sponsoring terrorism, banditry and kidnapping in an effort to blackmail President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and frustrate his administration.
Kawas made the allegation while defending the conference’s recent endorsement of Tinubu for a second term in the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, the cleric said the bishops’ endorsement was not motivated by financial inducement.
He maintained that the bishops had not received money in exchange for supporting the president.
Kawas further alleged that the insecurity confronting the country was being exploited by individuals seeking to portray the Tinubu administration as incapable of protecting Nigerians.
He did not, in the reported interview, provide publicly verifiable evidence establishing the identities of those he alleged were financing the attacks.
The allegation comes amid an intense political debate over the security situation and the performance of the Tinubu administration ahead of the 2027 election.
Kawas’ comments also place the bishops’ endorsement of Tinubu within a broader political conversation over how religious and traditional institutions are positioning themselves ahead of the presidential contest.
The cleric’s claim should, however, be understood as an allegation rather than an established finding. No independent evidence has been presented in the reports reviewed to substantiate the claim that identified individuals are deliberately sponsoring terrorism or banditry to undermine the president.