Metro
Redeemed Pastor Murdered in Church by ‘New Converts’
Suspected hoodlums have attacked and killed a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in FESTAC Town, in the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Our correspondent gathered that the victim, Pastor Babatunde Dada, was killed inside the RCCG Chapel of Resurrection on 13 Road, 6th Avenue, FESTAC Town.
The killing, which happened on Thursday, December 2, was said to have been perpetrated by two new converts who came to the church for the first time a Sunday before the incident.
The two youths were said to have come out during an altar call and surrendered their lives to Jesus.
The church accommodated them on its premises after they claimed to be stranded.
They had barely spent a week in the church when they reportedly stabbed the cleric to death.
A senior pastor in the church, Akin Odejare, declined comment on the incident when contacted by PUNCH Metro.
However, the wife of the pastor, Bose, told our correspondent on the phone that she called her husband on the day of the incident and he promised to come home to rest.
She said, “My husband was killed on December 2 at the church. He was the admin/accounts officer, as well as the parish pastor. I was not with him when he was killed, but I was told that they collected money from him. I heard that those who killed him were new converts.”
A family member, who is also a security expert, Mr Abolarinwa Olatunbosun, told our correspondent on Wednesday that the pastor was killed after withdrawing money from a bank.
He said, “The pastor went to a bank to withdraw some money and went to rest on the first floor of the church. Two persons said to be new converts went to meet him upstairs, broke his head and killed him.
“The matter was reported to the police and one of the suspects, who ran to Ilorin, has been arrested.”
Olatunbosun said the killing might be for ritual purposes, adding that the assailants were suspected Internet fraudsters, aka Yahoo boys.
The expert said criminals were beginning to attack churches and pastors because they believed there was money in church.
He advised religious centres to be security conscious and put in place strategies that could stop criminals from killing, kidnapping and robbing leaders and worshippers.
A friend of the slain pastor, Fred Enemigin, who is the founder, Highflyers International, Lagos, said in a Facebook post that the pastor was stabbed multiple times.
He wrote, “Two boys had come to church last Sunday and they responded to the altar call by giving their lives to Christ. After church service, they waited to see the head pastor and told him that they were stranded without any place to stay.
“On compassionate grounds, the pastor allowed them to stay somewhere within the church premises pending when they would be resettled. Pastor Tunde Dada, who had for almost a decade been the accountant of RCCG Chapel of Resurrection Parish, was assigned to provide needed welfare for the boys until their matter would be sorted.
“On the fateful Thursday, Tunde was seated in his office and the boys targeting that they were alone on the church premises with him, entered his office and attacked him with knives and other sharp weapons. He was stabbed multiple times and places until they had him killed right there on the spot.
“Our minds are still searching for what the rift between the boys and Tunde was considering the fact that the Tunde we knew was a very gentle soul. Could they have asked for more welfare than what was approved for them and Tunde declined? What on earth would warrant this brutal killing by those who were recipients of a server of the church’s benevolence? There are many more questions that we have not found answers to.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Adekunle Ajisebutu, said he had yet to be briefed about the case.
In the wake of a good number of road traffic crashes that resulted into fire outbreak in recent times, and the urgent need to bring the menace to an end, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Federal Fire Service (FFS) have entered into a historic partnership aimed at eliminating fire-related crashes on Nigerian roads.
A statement by the FRSC’s Public Education Officer, Assistant Corps Marshal Olusegun Ogungbemide, and made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), the groundbreaking collaboration will witness the joint training of personnel from both agencies, joint enforcement patrol, as well as improved data sharing to enhance response times and effectiveness.
The partnership, which was formalized by the Corps Marshal, FRSC, Shehu Mohammed and the Controller-General, FFS, Engr. Jaji Olola Abdulganiyu at the national headquarters of the Corps, marks a significant milestone in the quest to reduce the incidence of fire-related crashes on Nigerian roads.
Speaking during the visit, the Controller-General noted that the Federal Fire Service is committed to protecting lives and properties, and this partnership will enable the two services to respond more effectively to fire-related emergencies on the roads. He showed optimism as he looks forward to working closely with the FRSC to achieve shared goals.
Responding to the Controller General, the Corps Marshal highlighted that the partnership is a testament to the Corps’ commitment to safety and determination to explore innovative solutions to the challenges facing the nation’s transportation sector. He noted that by combining expertise and resources, the agencies can significantly reduce the risk of escalation of fire-related crashes and make the roads safer for all users.
The joint training program will focus on equipping personnel from both agencies with the skills and knowledge needed to respond effectively to fire-related crashes. The program will cover topics such as fire prevention, fire fighting, and emergency response.
In addition to the joint training program, the partnership will also involve improved data sharing and effective patrol operations between the two agencies to enforce compliance on having fire extinguishers in vehicles. This will enable them to share critical information on fire-related crashes, including incident locations, response times, and outcomes.
By combining their strengths and resources, the FRSC and FFS are poised to make a significant impact on road safety in Nigeria. This partnership serves as a model for future collaborations between agencies and underscores the importance of interagency cooperation in achieving shared goals.
The Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has taken more proactive action towards tackling the spate of tanker crashes in Nigeria, as he visits the national headquarters of Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch-National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Employers (NUPENG-PTD) in Abuja on Wednesday.
The visit, according to a statement by the Corps’ Public Education Officer, Assistant Corps Marshal Olusegun Ogungbemide, and made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), which was a prelude to the forthcoming critical stakeholders meeting organised at the expense of the Corps Marshal to discuss possible ways of bringing to an end, all challenges confronting the safety of lives and properties in the road transportation sector of the country.
While appreciating the support the Corps has received over the years from the Union, the Corps Marshal laid emphasis on the greater need for more collaboration and partnership, especially in the area of training and retraining of Petroleum Tanker Drivers and complying with minimum safety standards in haulage operations.
The National Chairman of the Union, Comrade Augustine Egbon who received the Corps Marshal, commended FRSc’s proactive approach towards enhancing safety in haulage operations in Nigeria. He accepted the need for more collaboration with the Corps in the area of training and retraining and further registered the readiness of the Union to support the Corps through mass media sensitisation campaigns.
The visit amongst other things forms part of Corps Marshal’s ongoing effort to ensure that all stakeholders play critical role in enhancing safety on the nation’s highways.
The meeting had Members of Management of the Corps as well as the Deputy National Chairman of the Union, Alhaji Shuaibu Leba, the National Trustee NUPENG-PTD, Otunba Salmon Akanni Oladiti as well as other Excos of the Union.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members, on Wednesday, engaged one another in a physical fight during a meeting of the party’s Board of Trustees, BoT, at the headquarters.
The altercation began when Sunday Ude-Okoye, a party chieftain, was ejected from the meeting.
Samuel Anyanwu and Ude-Okoye are contending over the position of National Secretary of the party.
Ude-Okoye had arrived the venue of the meeting before Anyanwu and acting National Chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagum.
But, when Anyanwu arrived, Ude-Okoye was forced out of the meeting by suspected thugs, a situation that led to an altercation.
