Emmanuel Adeyemi Lokoja
It was a traumatic day for some Christian worshippers in Kogi State Monday evening when some armed thugs stormed Dunamis Int’l church ,Ayingba, stripped the pastor after beating him to stupor and abducted two other worshippers.
The thugs allegedly led a prominent polician were said to have violently disrupted a peaceful prayer walk organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria, Kogi east chapter to pray for the peace of the country and God’s intervention to stop the current shedding of innocent blood.
The thugs were said to have shot sporadically into the air and went straight to the leader of Christians group, Bishop David Sanders , beat him up and tore his clothes into shreds until he became unconscious.
Several other church leaders and worshippers were also beaten to stupor including some women and children while the property of Dunamis Int’l church where the prayer walk was to commenced were vandalised
Three other church leaders including the zonal secretary of the prayer group, Silas Edegbo were later abducted and carried to unknown destination.
Speaking with newsmen on phone, the resident pastor of Dunamis Int’l church, Ayingba, Samson Ejila, expressed sadness that a peaceful Christians’ prayer walk for the country could be so disrupted that many people sustained injuries.
According to him, the organisers of the programme took permission from the appreciate authorities including the police with the knowledge of the state deputy governor, Edward Onoja, who gave them the go ahead and wondered why a prominent political player in the area could led armed thugs to disrupt an armless group.
In his words:” We are surprised that it is a prominent polician did this to the Christians. This is not rumours, he was the one that physically led the thugs including some vigilance members to attack us, we have every document including video clips, and so he can not deny this” he added
Ejila however confirmed that the three abducted members were released in the early hours of Tuesday after they had been thoroughly tortured.
Meanwhile, the State Governor Yahaya Bello has condemned the Monday’s attack on the Christians who were on a peaceful prayer walk in Anyigba area .
The Governor in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Onogwu Muhammed, while condemning the act, assured that the perpetrators of such unholy act would be fished out to face the full weight of the law.
Bello, said,”at a time the nation is facing unrest and disturbance, there is need for every religion organisation to intensify its faith by praying to God for his intervention in the affairs of the country; any act capable of truncating peaceful religious gathering is sacrilegious, repugnant and unacceptable”