Nigerian Church Set Ablaze

The Prayer, Faith and Miracle Ministry, a church located at Asa Dam area in Ilorin, capital of the central Nigerian state of Krawa was on Tuesday burnt down by yet to be identified persons.

The church which is also known as Ori-Oke Majemu Agbara was said to have been set ablaze today when none of the church members or security guard was around.

The suspected arsonists also burnt musical instruments, and public address system kept in the church but spared the bible and portraits of Jesus Christ which they removed to the frontage of the church.

They also reportedly carted away about 400 plastic chairs being used by the congregation and clerics of the church during service.

Pastor in charge of the church, Paul Adekeye, said the building had been badly burnt before they got wind of the development and invited the fire fighters to douse the flame.

He said the part-time security guard they employed to watch over the church did not come for duty when the incident occurred on the excuse that his wife was indisposed.

Adekeye said they had noquarrel over the land save about five years agowhen a man from Baboko area of the town who claimed to be the estate agent in charge of it asserted that the land was not meant for church building.

He said the man had since around that time stopped coming to disturb them when he was disowned by the owner of the land who sold it to the church. The pastor, who said they could not yet suspect anybody as the perpetrator of the arson, disclosed that the churchhas reported the matter to the police and the Department of State Security Service and that they had come to inspectit and promised to carry out full investigation on it.

Adekeye, who said property destroyed in thearson was worth millionsof Naira, urged the state government to come to the aide of the church in reconstructing the building.

Also reacting to the development, the secretary of neighborhood Christian Association Of Nigeria (CAN), Ayetoro/Jooro district in Asa Dam area, Gabriel Olasunkanmi Taiwo said urged the state government to intervene to ensure that an end is put to burning of churches in the town. Another church, a branchof Living Faith Church was burnt in the town about three months ago with the state CAN suspecting a renowned University Islamic lecturer being the instigator of the arson.