By Gloria Drealomalicha
A commander of the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Response Team (IRT) has advised churchgoers to be cautious about sharing details of their personal lives and financial achievements during church services, warning that such information could expose them to security risks.
The commander gave the warning during an IRT briefing aired on TV Platinum on Thursday, October 8, 2026, particularly cautioning worshippers who attend evening services in churches located on the outskirts of towns.
He warned that people should not assume everyone in a congregation has good intentions simply because they are attending a religious gathering.
“After closing from evening service, such act that they plan will be implemented. You can’t go to a church located on the outskirts, and you go to evening prayer, and close in the evening, coming down to your home, after making testimony of what you have achieved in life,” he said.
The police officer questioned the wisdom of publicly disclosing personal achievements before people whose intentions worshippers might not know.
“It doesn’t conform with common sense and rationality in the midst of gathering of people watching you, thinking that they are all men of God. No. Everybody has his own motive of going to the church,” he added.
He urged churches and security agencies to take the safety of worshippers more seriously, especially when services continue into the evening or end late at night.
According to him, religious institutions should provide adequate security guidance to members and pay attention to the risks associated with travelling to and from places of worship after dark.
“I believe the role of security institution must equally think of the security of their member and must advise them adequately,” he said.
The commander also called for improved security arrangements at churches that hold evening services, including monitoring access routes and ensuring that entrances and exits are properly secured.
“If you must hold evening services, and that has to be guided with a lot of security observation of the routes in and out, exits of those churches in and out,” he said.
He warned that disclosing sensitive personal information during evening gatherings could make worshippers vulnerable to criminal targeting.
“You can’t just have members come into night, evening prayers, and you say a lot of things that ought not to be said, and you expect these men of underworld will not plan anything against you,” he said.
The warning highlights the importance of personal discretion and practical security measures at religious gatherings, particularly for worshippers attending services in isolated areas or returning home late at night.
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