Police in Lagos have arrested a 50-year-old female pastor with the Truth and Spirit Prophetic Church Oko-Oba in Lagos, Mercy Okocha, and nine members for allegedly stoning an Oro worshiper, Akeem Agboola, 25, to death.
The incident was said to have occurred while the church located at Sanni Taiwo Lawal Street, Pooposhola in Oko-Oba was having its monthly vigil and prophetic hour.
The lynched traditionalist and others were said to have stormed the service and demanded its abrupt end since there was an announcement that there would be Oro.
The female pastor, it was gathered, tried to explain to them that they were conducting their vigil Inside the church and so, have not committed any offence but the Oro worshipers would have none of it.
The Oro worshippers were said to have begun to beat some of the church members and attempted to raze the church, prompting some of the members to flee.
But those who could not escape, it was learnt, confronted the traditional worshippers, throwing stones at them.
A witness said the church members defended themselves from the Oro worshipers attack, adding that nobody died during the fight.
A police source said they received a distress call around 6:30am that the church was about to be set ablaze.
He said, “We rushed to the scene and discovered that there was a serious fight between Oro traditional worshipers and the church members. We were told that while the church was having its vigil the Oro worshipers were also having their sacrament.
“The Oro worshipers who felt that the church should not be robbing shoulders with them, ordered the church to stop their programme, the church refused, so there was fight between the two worshipers.
“During the fight, a traditional worshiper, Akeem Agboola, 25, was stoned to death by the church members. We arrested the Pastor of the church, Mercy Okocha, 50, and nine other church members, while the body of the Oro worshiper, was evacuated and deposited at a public morgue for autopsy.”
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed the incident.
The PPRO, however, said investigation had commenced into the incident.
