Posted by By WALE AKINOLA on
REDEEMED Christian Church of God (RCCG) says no pastor was killed when armed robbers raided its Province 3 Headquarters located on 23 Road, Festac Town Lagos last Thursday.
REDEEMED Christian Church of God (RCCG) says no pastor was killed when armed robbers raided its Province 3 Headquarters located on 23 Road, Festac Town Lagos last Thursday.
An official of the church, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard against the backdrop of the report in Saturday Vanguard of yesterday that three senior pastors were killed during the armed robbery attack on the church, said no such killing took place.
He said that only one of the four guards met at the church by the bandits was killed
The official also denied that 125 Euros; 1,011 pounds sterling; 22,514 dollars and N41,300 totalling N10 million was carted away by the robbers.
He explained that what the church lost to the bandits was N40,000, 800 pounds sterling and 2000 dollars.
According to him, the hard currencies, procured last Wednesday, were meant for some RCCG pastors scheduled to travel to China last Thursday to open a branch of the church in that country.
Saying that RCCG authorities were embarrassed by the report, he said three pastors could not have been killed by the robbers because no pastor was in the church at the time of the robbery as no programme was going on.
'Besides, the provincial headquarters has no senior pastors. It has only the Parish pastor and the provincial pastor. So, where did the reporter get the report that three senior pastors were killed," he stated.
On the claim that money totalling N10million was taken away by the robbers, he stated that the church could not have kept such a huge amount in the church since it has bank accounts where all monies are kept except money needed for sundry and urgent matters like the planned missionaries trip to China.
The official said police were already investigating the robbery. 'We do not have all the details about the incident yet. We do not know why one of the guards was killed by the robbers.
"What we know so far is that the robbers gained entrance into the church premises, overpowered the guards and tied them. They later killed one of the guards and looted the funds they met there," the officials said, adding: 'The three other guards are currently with the police who are investigating the robbery."
He pointed out: 'The church authorities were really embarrassed about the report that three pastors were killed during the incident. It is not true."