Pastor

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The presiding pastor of an Abuja church, Pastor Uche Ugbe, has brought himself to great disrepute and backlash after he took gun to the church on Sunday.

Pastor Ugbe, while on the altar addressing christian faithfuls, had an AK-47 dangling from his shoulder.

He was reported to have said he came to church prepared because some people are looking for his trouble

However, his action do not sit well with many Nigerians and they have taken to different social media platforms to lambast him.

Abdullahi O. Haruna, a journalist and public affairs analyst, described his action as insensitive.

Haruna said, “Yes, he is not a security guy,
He is a pastor wielding unabashedly this weapon of death, to a congregation that had children, exuberant youths, not minding the sensitivity. He reigns with such impunity. Don’t worry, this is Nigeria. Anything goes…”

Another Facebook user, Nasir Muhammad Salis, said, “I can’t fathom the high level of panic or tension some people will ignite in the country if this was Sheikh Gumi or Sheikh Pantami. But now, they are ignoring it. I don’t see, in my view, any justification for this childish dramatic action!”

Other persons have described him as silly, childish and attention-seeking.

As at the time of writing this report, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), is yet to comment on the illegal possession of firearm by the pastor.

Interestingly, the Nigerian Police Force has also been conspicuously silent on the issue.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Ogun State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a 38-year-old Pastor, Israel Adebayo, for allegedly raping a 14 year-old member of the choir in the church.

The Police Spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who disclosed this Sunday, said another pastor had been caught in the act of alleged rape.

Oyeyemi said another 48-year-old pastor, Michael Abiodun, was also arrested Friday for allegedly defiling and impregnated a 12-year-old member of his church at Owode Egba in Obafemi-Owode LGA.

He added that the pastor is tue General Overseer of “The Beloved Chapel” situated at No. 9, Iyaniwura street, off Owonikoko street Agbado area of Ogun state.

However, the mother of the victim stated that while she was away from home for treatment of an ailment, her daughter went to the church.

She added that, “But she ‘fell’ into the hands of the Pastor who lured her into his room and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.”

Oyeyemi told journalists that, “On interrogation, the Pastor who admitted defiling the victim pleaded for forgiveness. According to him, his family and that of the victim are so close, but he didn’t know how and why such thing happened to him.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect would have been arrested long ago, but the mother of the victim frustrated the move because she doesn’t want to offend her Pastor.

“But when the victim continued bleeding from her private part since the incident which happened October 2021, she was left with no other option than to allow Police come into the matter,” he said.