Gunmen have invaded a Celestial Church of Christ, Oshofa, Wasimi, in the Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, abducting the Assistant Shepherd (assistant pastor) of the parish, Oluwaseun Ajose, and a Sunday school teacher, Dagunro Ayobami.
Our correspondents gathered that the victims were taken away from the church late on Monday.
An eyewitness, Oluwajesse Sunmade, said the gunmen wore masks and fez caps.
He said, “Around 11.40pm, I and some other members were seated at the church’s entrance while the assistant shepherd was sleeping inside the church.
“Afterwards, I saw four masked men with caps on their heads to further hide their faces; two of them were holding guns, one was with a cutlass, and the other was with a big stick. As I saw them, they told me to keep quiet.
“The other person at my side was a pregnant woman, while the other was a church worker. They asked me where Daddy (church shepherd) was, but I did not reply them. The other two wanted to tell them where the shepherd was, but I told them not to say anything.
“They threatened to shoot one of the persons with me if he did not tell them where the shepherd was. The pregnant woman who was at my other side tried to run, but I advised her against it, so they did not shoot her.
“While she tried to come back, she hit her head on the cross at the entrance. It was the noise that woke up the assistant shepherd, who was sleeping in the church and also alerted the Sunday school teacher in the other room.
“When he woke up, he asked who they were. The Sunday school teacher also came out to see what was happening, but the one with a stick beat them up and dragged them both.
“They also wanted to take me and the pregnant woman along with them, but the pregnant woman told them that she was ill and couldn’t walk; they left her alone and I managed to escape.”
The founder of the church, Prophet Oluwatomisin Olugbebi, who spoke to PUNCH Metro on the phone, said he left the vicinity about 10 minutes before the abductors invaded the church.
Olugbebi urged security agents to ensure the victims were rescued unhurt.
He said, “When my assistant called me almost two hours after they left, the kidnappers initially refused to speak with me, but on his third attempt, they spoke with me and requested N50m as ransom.
“I told them that I am a servant of God and I don’t receive salaries.”
The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State, Lanre Bankole, confirmed the incident, adding that efforts were on to rescue the abducted persons.
Punch
