On the first day of nationwide protests against hardship, hoodlums raided a church in Katsina, making off with chairs, musical instruments, and other items valued at millions of naira.
According to Punch, the incident occurred at a Living Faith Church in the Daura Local Government Area of the state.
Bishop David Oyedepo is the founder of Living Faith Church, Worldwide.
David Sarki, the pastor in charge of the church, spoke to Punch on Sunday, revealing that services had to be canceled due to the incident.
He stated, “We have two security personnel at the church; one was on duty while the other was off. When the protest began around 10:00 a.m., the hoodlums diverted their attention to the church. Many arrived in Keke Napep (tricycles), broke down doors and windows, and entered the church auditorium.
“They stole everything inside, including the digital clock on the wall, musical instruments, the pulpit, pastor’s chairs, plastic chairs, a desktop computer from the reception, and the scoreboard where the accountant kept church documents. They vandalized everything.
“They targeted three churches. They successfully invaded the Living Faith Church and Deeper Life but failed to breach the third one, the Anglican Church, due to the strong security at the gate. We have notified the police and the army about this, and the police informed us yesterday that they have made several arrests.
“I am shocked by this attack. As we seek an end to bad governance protests, it is disheartening that they have escalated to assaults on churches. This is something that everyone should unequivocally condemn. The church is a sacred place, not a storage for goods. Why this focus on churches? The government must realize that they serve humanity, and all leaders—political and religious—will face judgment.
“My prayer for the perpetrators is that they seek repentance for their actions. Entering a church, a place of worship, is a grave wrong, and they must realize they are not truly fighting anyone. They should turn towards repentance. I trust in God’s forgiveness, and I believe He will extend it to them.”
It’s so unfortunate that Churches are yet to fashion out their end as clearly stated in the very holy Bible they are using. The gospel age or generation ended in the Year 2000. Yet majority of the Christians will read this passage and ignore it or misinterpret it into something else. The Scripture says, in Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” This has been fulfilled hence the various challenges.