An Ethical Appraisal of Religious Bogus, Prophetic Monstrosity and Precarity in Nigeria: Towards Individual and National Security

Nigeria is faced with more security challenges today than ever in our history (Wale Ajayi 2023).In the quest for National Security, religion is believed to be instrumental through various scriptural means. But events of the recent times have placed some doubt on this fact due to the criminal activities among some religious men and women in the country (Michael, N.Nwoko 2023).  In ancient Israel, prophecy had always stood conspicuously in the religious, socio-economic and political life of the Israelites. Over the years, the church in Nigeria has been regarded sacred, a solace of divine presence and security, and within the church disposition, the prophetic arm is highly bequeathed with this onerous task (Ugwu 2009). However, in contrast with popular prophetic Jewish tradition, many scholars have noted how prophecy in the recent time has suffered a substantial set-back. In fact, there is no ulterior motive to say that prophetic ministry in Nigeria today has been riddled with immorality and abnormal behaviour. The country is blessed with great men of God who are true to their calling and exhibit heavenly wisdom. However, with no mechanism for self-correction, self-study or self-understanding and no commitment to theology, sound theology anchored on a sound and balanced biblical worldview, the stage is set for the creation of a monstrosity, “a religion divorced from earnest and lofty thought that has always down to the whole history of the church, tended to become weak, jejune and unwholesome†. In the recent time, the media has been filled with stories of terrible crimes committed by some supposed clerics in the country. It is either they involved in one fraudulent act or the other, or they are charged for sexual assault against their members. They pronounce false prophecies to draw attentions to themselves. Predictive aspect of prophecy nowadays has become highly lucrative in Nigeria, a society densely populated with gullible worshippers. This prophetic hallucination also hurts in Nigerian politics, as the country’s socio-political landscape is wantonly besieged by a barrage of prophecies, prophetic postulations and calculations. It is apparent in our society today that prophecy is thriving, yet evil and vices are thriving, which certainly call for sober reflection. Previous studies on insecurity in Nigeria focused largely on socio political perspectives, with little attention paid to religious dimensions. This paper therefore explores the effects of prophetic monstrosity on security in Nigeria, focusing on the possible solutions. Using historical–critical method, the paper recommends prophetic revolution as viable sine qua non for curbing the menace of prophetic monstrosity and insecurity in Nigeria.