Pastor David Ibiyeomie has reportedly advised parents to prioritise paying their tithes before spending money on Christmas clothes for their children.

But this raises a serious question about the priorities being preached in some churches today.

Imagine a struggling father or mother who has worked tirelessly throughout the year, trying to put food on the table, pay school fees and provide a little Christmas happiness for their children. Should such a parent feel guilty for buying their children new clothes because they have not paid their tithe?

Tithing is an important religious practice for many Christians, but should it come before the basic needs and happiness of one's children?

Critics are asking: since when did buying Christmas clothes for your own children become something you must first seek financial clearance from the church to do?

A disturbing video reportedly filmed somewhere in Northern Nigeria has raised serious concerns over alleged threats of religious violence, and is now being reported by several Nigerian news outlets.

The footage shows young men in brown uniforms and blue berets marching and chanting in Hausa during what appears to be a drill. News reports have linked the uniforms to the first-aid volunteer wing of the Islamic movement JIBWIS, whose members help coordinate Friday Jumu'ah prayers.

According to a Hausa-to-English translation circulating with the video, the drill leader allegedly calls for AK-47 rifles so the group can travel to Enugu and attack Christians during Sunday worship. He reportedly refers to the worshippers as "infidels", imitates the sound of gunfire, and also mentions Jos as another target.

Lere Olayinka, media aide to the FCT Minister, has called on the DSS and the police to investigate the video.

However, the location, date, identity of the speaker, the group's actual affiliation and the accuracy of the translation have not been independently verified. No response from the group had been reported at the time of writing.

If the translation is accurate, this is an extremely serious matter. Nobody should be allowed to use religion as an excuse to threaten innocent people, whether they are Christians or Muslims.

If someone openly calls for weapons to attack people during worship, shouldn't that be enough to trigger an immediate security investigation? Nigeria has suffered enough religious violence, and credible threats against worshippers cannot be treated as ordinary speech.