Pastor Mercy Okocha, presiding Pastor of Truth and The Spirit Prophetic Church of 2, Sanni Taiwo Street, Puposola area of Oko Oba, has been fingered has being the person that threw the coconut which inflicted fatal injuries on an Oro worshipper, Akeem Agboola, which eventually led to his death, reports thegazellenews.com.
Our correspondents visited the scene of the mayhem where Oro worshippers and church members of the aforementioned church engaged each other in battle which eventually led to the death of Akeem Agboola, one of the Oro worshippers.
According to investigation by our correspondents, the worshippers have informed residents of the area of the coming Oro festival which is expected to coincide with the Isese Day, a day set aside for traditional worshipping and the need for women and non-indigenes to stay at home.
“On the day of the event, the Oro worshippers sent out one of their members to inform the people of the area on the need to stay at home at a particular period between 12 midnight and 4am.
“The town crier thus went round the streets and inform residents of the coming event,” one of the worshippers told thegazellenews.com
Adeolu Adeshina, a youth in the area, told our correspondents that when the church members who were having a programme on that day, were informed, they said that the Oro worshippers are not greater than the God they are serving.
“That set the stage for the confrontation between the two groups particularly on the side of the church members who appeared ready for the impending battle arming themselves with weapons, particularly bottles to defend themselves and the church,” Adeshina narrated
When the Oro worshippers eventually started their procession and got to the vicinity of the church and they found out that the church members have not heeded their warning, an emissary was allegedly sent to the church leaders to at least stop their programme and allow the procession to pass.
The refusal of the church members led to a shouting match between the two groups which eventually snowballed into chaos.
“The two groups resorted to hauling missiles at each other. Bottles and stones were flying from one end to the other and it seems the church members were better prepared with broken bottles coming regularly and fast from their end,” Orowunmi Olaide, a member of the Oro group told our correspondents.
According to him, it was in the process that Prophet Mercy Okocha picked one of the coconuts brought for special prayers by church members and threw it at the crowd of the Oro worshippers but unfortunately for her, it landed right on the head of Akeem Agboola who slumped and fell to the ground.
“We tried to revive him because he was still breathing but could not speak. We took him to several hospitals including the General Hospital at Oke Odo but he was rejected. Eventually, he died,” Adeola narrated.
It was the death of Agboola that enraged the Youths and they stormed the church with a view of setting it ablaze.
It took the intervention of police from Oko Oba police station to quell the uprising.
As at the time of writing this report, Pastor Mercy, 50, and nine members of her church have been arrested by the police and are still undergoing interrogation.
3 Comments
Stupid pastor and foolish followers….it’s in the bible give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar..may you all rot in jail and he’ll for this precious soul lost..AMEN
That’s ritual, cause God bless many in different ways but no life lost instead rise death from grave, this will make we Africans reason RIP. BRO
The same churches that shut down Indefinitely because of covid