There was a mild drama at the Federal Housing Authority, Lugbe, Abuja, on Sunday as some pastors tried to evade prosecution by the FCT Ministerial Enforcement Taskforce on COVID-19 Restriction.
The pastors, who had partitioned the rocks behind FHA Lugbe as their worship centres on Sunday, denied ownership of the large crowd worshipping on the hilltop.
The pastors are Ibitoye Kayode of the Liberty Faith Gospel Church, Pastor Joshua Olaniru of Liberty Gate Ministry and Pastor Vitalis Udeazi of Dominion Chapel.
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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that trouble started when the task force stormed the area and could not differentiate worshippers and their religious leaders.
After a brief interrogation, the three pastors were identified from the crowd although Udeazi tried to conceal his identity.
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He said that none of his members was present at the time the members of the task force arrived at the mountain top.
However, that did not go down well with other pastors who protested vehemently that he was one of them.
Luck ran out on him when some members identified him as their pastor.
Similarly, Olaniru, who also denied any wrongdoing, was identified in a video while conducting service before the arrival of the task force team.
Addressing the pastors, the chairman of the task force, Ikharo Attah, expressed disappointment with the clerics for denying the large group of worshippers.
“No one among you agreed that anyone came to worship in his church even when they turned out in large numbers.
“One of you even went ahead to deny being a pastor,” he said.
Attah also cautioned them against holding worship service in violation of the presidential directive.
NAN reports that the clerics were arraigned before the mobile court presided by Magistrate Idayat Akonni and fined N5, 000 each in addition to three hours of community service. (NAN)
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