In the first such incident of its kind, the attackers claimed the prayers and activities of the church were frustrating their criminal operations in the area. Over the weekend, the heavily armed youths stormed the sanctuary in the night, raised it to the ground and vanished.
Resident clergyman Pastor Elijah Inyang, said the relationship between the Aka-Itiam Assembly established on June 10, 2011 and the community was convivial and there was no leadership tussle. He expressed surprise at the actions of the hoodlums because he was not aware anyone had issues with the church.
Pastor Inyang said: “Well, I am short of words because this type of incident has never happened. They broke into the church and as you can see, destroyed our altar, set it on fire and destroyed all the musical instruments.
“When I came in this morning, I saw smoke billowing from the place. Perhaps, their intention was to burn down the building but God had to stop them."
He appealed to the Akwa Ibom State government and all the security agencies to come to their aid and find the culprits. According to Pastor Inyang, the matter should be investigated to know the cause and also bring those involved to book to avoid future such occurrences.
Comments
Post a Comment