Pastors Kidnap Pastor For Quitting Church

Two pastors of a new generation church in Lagos have been arrested by the police and charged to court for allegedly kidnapping their colleague.

The two pastors, Godwin Adiele, 39 and Joseph Atoyebi, 51 of Anointed Word Ministries, Lagos were alleged to have kidnapped Pastor Chidi Ebube for leaving the church “after knowing too much.”

The victim was abducted along Igando Road and imprisoned at Pastor Adiele’s residence at 1, Bishop Godwin Adiele Crescent, Powerline, Isheri-Idimu, Lagos for three days.

Narrating his odeal to P.M.News, the victim said he joined the church, thinking that the mode of worship and the doctrine was in line with the teaching of Jesus Christ, but he discovered that the church was into rituals and he did not like.

He explained that he told the wife of the General Overseer, Pastor Adiele, what he discovered and decided to leave them quietly. But they kidnapped him and compelled him to take an oath not to disclose what he had seen and learnt about the church.

He was, however, lucky as he escaped from where he was chained and ran to the Igando Police Station where he reported the incident.

The police arrested Pastors Godwin and Joseph Atoyebi who reside at Plot 80, Collins Elebede Avenue, Lari Bus Stop, Igando new town estate and charged them with kidnapping and stealing at the Ejigbo Magistrate’s Court.

The police accused the two pastors of conspiring and unlawfully imprisoning the victim.

The second charge accused them of tying the hands and legs of the victim with an iron chain, beating and macheting him all over his body to compel him enter into an undertaking.

The offence is contrary to sections 355, 365 and 390 of the Criminal Code, Cap.17, Vol. 2, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

They pleaded not guilty to the five-count charge and the magistrate, Mrs. Maimunat Folami granted them bail in the sum of N100,000 with two responsible sureties.

The court ordered that one of the sureties must be a blood relation and another a religious leader. They must also show evidence of payment of tax.

The matter has been adjourned till 28 December, 2009.

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