25052018 - BENUE KILLINGS: ETHNIC CLEANSING OR JIHAD? Soyinka, Northern leaders tango

28—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2018
Lagos community demands
relocation of Tuesday Tuesday
Church •Worship centre keeps mum
By Dapo Akinrefon
THE
love
between residents of
Soba Community of Abule
Ado in Amuwo Odofin Local
Council Development Area of
Lagos and a worship centre
situated in the town has
suddenly turned into hatred.
Last Friday, May 18, 2018,
leaders and residents of the
community trooped out
enmass to protest the alleged
nefarious activities of the
worship centre.
Their grouse
As a matter of fact, the
community has petitioned the
Federal and Lagos State
governments, calling for the
relocation of Power of the
Holy Ghost Evangelical
Ministry (popularly called
Tuesday Tuesday Church),
alleging its refusal to conform
to basic tenets of good
citizenship. The community
condemned the activities of
the church in its entirety and
especially the use of police
force to harass residents,
describing the action as
unjust.The residents trooped
out with placards bearing
inscriptions like 'Tuesday
Church must leave our
community in peace.'
'Enough of kidnapping of
innocent souls in Soba
community.’ ‘Enough of
sprinkling of blood in our
community.’ ‘They claim to
be christians but they are
ritualists.’ ‘The Power of the
Holy Ghost Evangelical
Ministry known as Tuesday
Church is evil.’
Four landlords
arrested
The matter came to a climax
on May 16, 2018 when a
detachment of Police led by
DSP Justin Adaka from IGP
Monitoring Unit, Port
Harcourt Annex came to
arrest four members of the
community - Babajide
Folami, Keyinde Ayuba,
Umoru Isa and Pastor
Raphael purportedly on the
order of the Inspector-
General of Police, Abuja in
retaliation for the petition
filed with the DPO of Trade
Fair Police station, adding
that all efforts to locate their
whereabouts proved
abortive.The Vice Chairman,
Landlord Association of Soba
community, Mr. Femi
Ekundayo, who led the
protest to the palace of the
Baale alleged that the
excesses of the church could
not be curtailed by the
residents.He explained that
•Residents of Soba community in Abule Ado during the protest on
Friday, May 18, 2018 at Soba town, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos.
members of the community
are being assaulted in
various guises. Ekundayo
said residents live in fear of
being molested by members
of the church, adding that
some residents of the
community have been
attacked with salt, eggs,
coconut, among other things
when they go for vigils.He
said: “In all fairness, we hear
the sound of people crying
and wailing. We see blood all
over inside and outside but,
we have not seen them with
human parts.They attacked a
church that has been in
existence for 20 years in this
community. When we
complained at the Trade Fair
Police Station, the DPO
invited us for a peace
meeting but the pastor of the
church refused to show up.In
fact, some landlords were
arrested by some Police
officers sent by the Inspector-
General of Police and they
have been moved to Port
Harcourt.”
Representative of the
Baale, the Otun of Soba,
Chief Jimoh Sanni said
complaints have been made
at the nearest police station
for intervention before this
outburst and they waded in
and promised to settle it
amicably.
Victims recount
ordeal
Some victims narrated their
ordeals in the hands of the
church, urging the state
government to wade into the
matter before it gets out of
hand.
I was assaulted
—Cleric
The Presiding Pastor, Christ
is the Answer Healing
Church, Pastor Sanni Moses
said “The first Friday in the
month of March after several
molestations by this so-called
church burning different
kinds of incense and
throwing eggs into my church
premises, I went to the
church to lodge a complaint
but I was not allowed to see
the Prophet. On a particular
day, my colleague and I were
at the entrance of my church.
We were holding a vigil and
it was as if it was something
planned by that same church.
They came at about 2 a.m.
assaulted me right at the
gate, poured salt on me,
sprayed perfume on my head
but I restrained my members
from fighting, because I don’t
really know what they are
doing. I went to the Baale’s
palace to lay my complaints".
When asked if the matter
had been reported to the
Christian Association of
Nigeria, CAN, the cleric said
he reported the matter to
CAN but was asked to revert
to the Baale for reconciliation
that would translate to peace
and harmonious existence in
the community.
They poured a bag of
salt on me — CCC
Pastor
For Prophet Emmanuel
Agabi of the Celestial Church
of Christ, CCC, Soba Parish,
he said he has been a victim
so many times.
Agabi said: “In February, I
was attacked by some
members of church on my
way to preach the gospel.”
He alleged that a bag of
salt was poured on him over
his refusal to bow before the
•Pastor Sanni Moses, one of the victims
Pastor of the Tuesday
Tuesday Church.
A trader, Mrs Rose
Emmanuel also referred to as
Mama Umeh, whose shop is
close to the church, said:
“There is no day I come to my
shop that I will not see salt,
eggs and coconuts in front of
my shop. I always take the
stress of washing all these
things with water.”
I was beaten for
refusing to attend their
church—Trader
Another trader, Mrs Favour
Francis said she was notified
that some rituals were
carried out in front of her
shop.
She said: “At 3 O’clock on
Wednesday, I was notified
that the Tuesday church had
buried some things at my
shop. When I got there, I did
not say a word, but reverted
to my own Pastor, who gave
me anointing oil to sanctify
the frontage of my shop.Not
too long after, the Tuesday
Church’s pastor brought his
members to beat me and my
children in the shop. Since
then, I have not been feeling
fine.Prior to this, there was
no rancour between us. The
only thing I could remember
was that I have turned down
their invitation to attend their
church countless times.
Consequently, the pastor
ordered his members not to
patronise my shop anymore
that I was so fetish.”
Mrs. Nkechi Egbenu, who
trades directly opposite the
church, said: “Each time I go
to my shop, they must have
broken eggs, burnt candles of
different colours such as red,
blue and black. I went to report
the case to Baale for
intervention.”
Community petitions
Lagos govt
In a petition jointly issued
by the Baale of Ado-Soba,
Chief Raheed Jimoh and the
Aare Ona Kanakanfo of
Yorubaland, Aare Gani
Adams, they alleged that:
“Apart from the rancorous and
violent processions of the
Tuesday Tuesday Church
every week and with total
blockade of the roads leading
to our community, they broke
into people’s shops and
residents' property at night
and desecrate them in the
name of purification with
thick smelly and hazardous
substances.”
Mr. Ekundayo, who read
the petition at the Baale’s
palace said: “Their activities
at nights are most unbearable
as they noisily pollute the
environment from evening till
the early hours of the day.
They harass and assault
anybody who challenges their
despicable rituals"
According to the petition,
"people living around the
church often complain of
offensive odour, crying and
wailing of people being
tortured whose noise cease
soon after" adding that "this
is confirmatory evidence that
it is not a conventional church
but an occult group".
"Whilst it is the inalienable
right of every citizen to
freedom of worship and
association as guaranteed in
section 38(1) & 40 of the
Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, you will
agree with us absolutely that
the activities of this body
constitute dangerous health
hazards, environmental
menace and gross abuse of
our rights to life, good health
and peaceful living as
guaranteed under section 33
(1) & 34 (1a).The matter came
to a head on 16th May, 2018
when a detachment of Police
led by DSP Justin Adaka from
IGP Monitoring Unit, Port
Harcourt Annex came to arrest
four members of the
community - Babajide Folami,
Keyinde Ayuba, Umoru Isa
and Pastor Raphael
purportedly on the order of
the Inspector General of
Police, Abuja in retaliation for
our petition filed with the
DPO of Trade Fair Police
station and all efforts to locate
their whereabouts proved
abortive".
Church keeps mum
Efforts, however, to get the
reaction of the Tuesday
Tuesday Church, proved
abortive as members of the
church denied Vanguard
access into the church
premises.When Vanguard
approached the church gate,
in an attempt to see the Pastor
of the church, a member of the
church who opened the gate,
turned down the request.