Pastor, others macheted as gunmen invade Church during Service
Tragedy struck at a Celestial church in Jakande area of Lagos on Tuesday when some armed thugs attacked the church, macheted its shepherd with cutlasses and hacked a member during a service.
According to The Punch, the hoodlums, armed with guns and machetes, stormed the church on motorcycles in the middle of a service.
It was gathered that, upon entering the church, the hoodlums asked for the shepherd identified as Adewunmi Awotidoye. They rained beating on him and afterwards cut him with cutlasses which landed him at the hospital.
The newspaper reported that an eyewitness anonymously said one of the hoodlums attempted to shoot Awotidoye, which caused serious confusion during the service.
“He was in church coordinating a weekly programme when the hoodlums came. They were six in number; two stayed outside of the gate and two came inside. Immediately they entered the church, they asked if he was Prophet Awotidoye and he said yes. The next thing, they grabbed him and started beating him. One wanted to use his gun on him, but one of them stopped him,” the eyewitness explained.
“He later requested a machete immediately he saw that the prophet took to his heels. The hoodlums chased him; he fell and they caught up with him. They used the machete to cut him. A 70-year-old elder in the church pleaded with them to leave him. They cautioned the man to steer clear. Nobody could get close because they were with guns. A lady who tried it was hacked along with Prophet Awotidoye. She is still in a hospital,” the eyewitness further narrated.
According to the newspaper, a leadership tussle broke out in the church when its immediate past shepherd, Elijah Ogunbemi, was suspended on gross misconduct and replaced by its current shepherd in acting capacity.
The newspaper reported that the members suspected only Ogunbemi to be behind the attack in alleged protest of the way he was treated.
A source within the church was quoted to have said: “Ogunbemi was transferred to our church in 2021. After church elders suspended him, he insisted on completing his two-year term.”
Another member of the church, who gave her name as Sarah, told PUNCH that the suspended leader had been creating problems for the new pastor.
But while reacting, Ogunbemi, however, denied the claims saying: “That is a wrong allegation; I didn’t do that and I have never done that and I will never do it. I don’t know who brought the thugs; we were at the police station today and they promised to carry out an investigation into the matter. I don’t have an issue with them. The person that has an issue is the other pastor that refused to leave the church after I arrived.”
When contacted, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, said the incident was under investigation and that the state commissioner of Police has directed that those behind the attack be arrested.
