Police have confirmed that fire gutted The Redeemed Church, along Federal College of Education (FCE) Road Kontagora, even as the Christian community in the area said hoodlums were behind the incident.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Wasiu Abiodun told LEADERSHIP that “information was received at about 4 am, there was a fire incident at RedeemedChurch, along FCE Road Kontagora.
“The fire incident burnt and destroyed the church’s valuable property, value yet to be ascertained. The Police patrol team led by DPO A Div Kontagora visited the scene. The inferno was put off in collaboration with the fire service, but the fire has done a lot of damage.”
He, however, added that the cause of the inferno is yet to be ascertained, as an investigation into the unfortunate incident is ongoing, and no life was lost.
The chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Niger State Chapter, Most Rev. Dr Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, apparently attributed it to a hatchet job and condemned the incident by “unidentified arsonists”.
While describing the incident as barbaric and uncalled for, he said it was a painful thing to the Christian community.
He added that the government needs to take proper action by ensuring the culprits are brought to book, saying that “There is freedom of worship in Niger State. I am sure the government and security agencies will take action by then. It will go a long way to address any tension that may want to escalate beyond control.
“We are hoping that the law will take its course. Issues like this must be tamed, and people who have done this should be fished out and made to face the law”, he stated.
An assistant pastor of the Church, Pastor Samson Ogbebor, said the incident occurred around 3 am on Saturday, adding that “I got a distress call that our Church was on fire and on getting there, I met a church that has been in existence for the past 20 years being burnt down and properties looted by hoodlums.’’
“This Church has faced lots of challenges, sometimes about 10 years ago, hoodlums came and burnt it down completely and with self efforts, we were able to erect it again”, he recalled.
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