BEVERLY HILLS, CA, July 18, (THEWILL) – There is palpable fear and tension in Dille, a village in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, following Boko Haram’s killing of a pastor with the local parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) on Monday.
The slain clergyman was identified as pastor Taiwo Dokun.
The anxiety, according a member of the church, has been further compounded as the whereabouts of Pastor Dokun,’s wife and three children remain unknown.
“The family could have been abducted by the insurgents who took away many of the residents of the town as the family members were not found since the attack and have not called anyone.
“Though their residence was completely razed by the insurgents, their corpses were not found in the debris,” a member of the church told THEWILL, craving anonymity.
Giving a graphic account of the incident, a local resident, Jacob Mamza, told THEWILL that: “The pastor was in his house at about 6am when the insurgents attacked the village, his house was surrounded by the hoodlums and while attempting to run, he was shot.”
According to Mamza, who also disclosed that no fewer than 45 villagers were killed in the attack, “Pastor Taiwo was running to a neighbour’s house and it was in the course of his fleeing that he was shot in the head and the chest and the insurgents equally came to butcher him to make sure that he was dead.”
He added that not yet done with the pastor, his attackers moved to his house and burnt it down amid fears that his wife and children may have been abducted by the rampaging gunmen.
Sources at the RCCG however disclosed that the remains of the late pastor may be buried in Mubi, Adamawa State, as the plan to convey his corpse to Akure, the Ondo State capital, for burial may not work because his remains have started decomposing.
“He might be buried at Mubi for he was initially taken to a Mubi hospital where he was embalmed but because it was not properly done, the corpse started swelling up and a decision was taken to bury him in the town,” a source said.
It was however gathered that his death has sparked off tension and anger in the RCCG parishes in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, as pastors who are forced to stay put at their duty posts inspite of the are set to clash with the Regional Pastor of the church, Emmanuel Adegboyega Kalejaiye, who oversees all the parishes in the state.
“The death of Pastor Taiwo was too much for us to bear. We believe this could happen to any of us, especially with the insensitivity of our regional pastor to our plight.
“We are still looking for one of us who was abducted on January 6 by the insurgents and we have frequently appealed that the parishes in some of these affected local government areas of Borno be closed for now without result.
“The Deeper Life Bible Church and Living Faith Ministry have closed their parishes in the local government but all our appeal fell on deaf hears and see what is happening to our pastors. Our pastors have had to travel on these deadly road infested with Boko Haram to Maiduguri every month and it is by the grace of God that many of us are still alive today,” some of the aggrieved Pastors said.
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