Criminals hiding under the cover of ongoing hunger protest on Saturday invaded the Living Faith Church in the Daura local government area of Katsina State, stealing approximately 205 chairs, musical instruments and other valuable items worth millions of naira.
Emmanuel Micah Yakusa, te pastor in charge of the church, told journalists that Sunday service was conducted under tight security.
He said: “We have two security men working in the church, one was on duty while the other was off. When the protest began around 10:00am, the hoodlums just diverted to the church, many of them in Keke NAPEP (Tricycle), and broke the doors and classes and penetrated the church auditorium.
“They packed everything inside the church auditorium, including the wall digital clock, musical instruments, pupit, pastor’s chairs, plastic chairs, and a desktop computer at the reception, as well as a scoreboard where the accountant usually kept church documents. They scattered everything.”
He also revealed that the main auditorium and the accountant’s office were vandalized before the hoodlums made off with everything in the church building during the protests.
He added that three other churches were also targeted but the hoodlums only succeeded in invading the Living Faith Church and Deeper Life Church, but couldn’t force themselves into the Anglican Church because of the strong iron protector at the gate.
“The church has informed the police and the Army about it, and the police told us yesterday that they have made some arrests,” he said.
“I’m surprised by this attack; when we are thinking about ending bad governance, which now escalated to the invasion of churches, it is something that everyone should seriously condemn. It is not food that we store in the House of God. It is a place of worship. Why is it only church? The government should come to the reality they are serving humanity, and God will judge us all, whether political or religious leaders.
“My prayer to the perpetrators is that they should repent from what they are doing because for you to enter church, a place of worship, is wrong and you know you are not fighting man, they should seek for repentance. I know God is forgiving and He will forgive them”
The church of a former state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Very Rev. Nelson Onyekachuku was also vandalised.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Sadiq Abubakar, who confirmed the incident, said arrests have been made while investigations are ongoing
