The Bible in revelation 21 vs 8b says “all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” but three pastors of some new generation churches saw lying as the only way out of a difficult situation they found themselves on Sunday.
The pastors – Ibitoye Kayode of the Liberty Faith Gospel Church, Joshua Olaniru of Liberty Gate Ministry and Vitalis Udeazi of Dominion Chapel – denied their members and ministries to avoid arrests for violating COVID-19 restrictions in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Anaedoonline.com reports that operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ministerial Enforcement Team on COVID-19 Restrictions stormed the area following a tip-off. They, however, found it difficult to identify worshippers and their religious leaders.
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After a brief interrogation, the three pastors were identified but one Vitalis Udeazi of Dominion Chapel tried to conceal his identity.
He said none of his members were present at the time the task force arrived at the mountain top, prompting other pastors to protest that he was one of them.
Udeazi continued to protest his innocence even after some members pointed at him as their pastor. He denied, saying they were his prayer members.
On his part, Joshua Olaniru of Liberty Gate Ministry argued that he was not among those holding worship session. But his bubble was busted after a resident of the community gave the taskforce a video clip which showed the cleric holding a worship session, a development which had led to a fight about an hour before the taskforce personnel arrived.
A surprised Chairman of the taskforce, Ikharo Attah, wondered why the pastors were denying their members and ministries.
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He said,
“Why are you all denying these large groups of worshippers? No one among you agreed that anyone came to worship with them even when they turned out in large numbers. One of you even went ahead to deny being a pastor”.
Another cleric, Pastor Effiong Bassey, of the Holiness Revival Ministry Church, Karamajiji was apprehended for holding a church service to mark the 60th birthday of a retired military colonel, P.E Ebong, who left the military in 2015.
Addressing the pastor, Attah said:
“you cannot hold a worship service in defiance of the directives of the Commander in Chief just to mark the 60th birthday of a retired colonel.
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“Even for a serving colonel, it is very wrong. You have to come with us and explain it to the magistrate at the mobile court”.
The Clerics were consequently arraigned before a Mobile Court presided over by Magistrate Akonni who found them guilty and fined them N5,000 each in addition to three hours of community service.
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