There was a mild drama at the House on the Rock Church in Abuja on Sunday after Uche Aigbe, the presiding pastor, mounted the pulpit carrying a gun.
Aigbe left members of his congregation startled after mounting the pulpit brandishing an AK-47.
Despite the tension his action had created among the congregation, the cleric appeared unmoved as he continued to deliver his message.
Pastor Aigbe began by saying he “came prepared” to face any trouble, and went ahead to warn faithful against falling for rogue preachers who are extorting people in the name of prophecy.
“There are some pastors who are operating under the spirit of divination. They know how to read palms and are not different from palm readers. They can look at you and tell you about your past, things that happened many years ago in your family tree and you think this is a prophet,” he is seen saying in a video of the service shared online.
“How many people in Jesus’ lifetime did Jesus tell about their past? There are certain things that have nothing to do with the gospel. God is not a magician and does not use your past to manipulate you. That is why we need to carry our guns and defend our faith,” he added.
It is understood that the pastor used the AK-47 rifle to illustrate his sermon titled “guard your faith.”
Although it was not established if the rifle was loaded, the Nigeria Police Force has spoken out on the incident, saying it will investigate the pastor.
Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force’s Public Relations Officer, said AK-47 rifles fall under the prohibited firearms in the West African state and only certain law enforcement officers are allowed to do carry them.
In a series of tweets, Adejobi termed the incident as “shocking” and said the case had been forwarded to higher authorities for investigations.
“…if its true, the pastor will have a case to answer. AK47??. It falls under prohibited Firearms in Nigeria, and no one bears it except an officer of the law, and not all of them have the right, selected sec operatives, but no individual has the right to bear it,” he wrote.
Some Nigerians took to social media to express their different opinions. While some users justified the pastor’s actions, others expressed their shock.
“He was using the gun for illustrative purposes as to the topic “Guard your faith” and how critical it is for each Christian to do it. Get the whole news so as not to spread the wrong narrative,” a Twitter user wrote.
“Perhaps he wanted to use it to illustrate a point in his sermon. If that is the case he must require a permit. However, under no circumstance should any civilian be permitted to bear arms in a worship centre in a place considered to be peaceful. He can as well open fire there,” another Twitter user wrote.
A user added: “If an imam should do this in the north everyone could have started labeling him a terrorist and calling him names. But it’s the other faith, no one’s saying anything. Hypocrisy at its peak!”
