CAN Disowns Pastor Arrested For Ondo Church Abduction

Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has disowned one Josiah Peter Asumosa, an assistant pastor with the Whole Bible Believers Church, located in Ondo West local government area of Ondo State, who was arrested recently by the police for kidnapping.

In a statement issued by Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, the special assistant (media and communications) to the CAN president, His Eminence, Rev Dr Samson Ayokunle, the association urged all denominations to keep eye on the pastors under them to ensure wholesome biblical conduct. The association also enjoined members of the churches all over the nation to cross-check every teaching from the Bible before believing it.

The association said the pastor and the church are not members of CAN, even as it calls on the police to thoroughly investigate him and his activities with a view to prosecuting him and his cohorts if there had been any infringement on the law of Nigeria and the rights of the members in his custody.

The said pastor was arrested for camping some members in the church premises, misleading them into believing that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ popularly referred to as the rapture is now.

CAN said the pastor had lied to the uninformed members that rapture would take place in April, but later said it had been changed to September, 2022.

The association stated that no true pastor would claim to know the date of the rapture, adding that whoever claims to know the date is not only misleading the public but cannot claim to be a genuine servant of God.

While commending the police for their prompt action, which led to the rescue of over 70 victims from the Church premises, CAN said the victims should further be subjected to medical checkups since nobody knows what they were going through where they were camped.