Hoodlums invaded a Living Faith Church in Daura Local Government Area of Katsina State, looting approximately 205 chairs, musical instruments, and other valuable items worth millions of naira.
The attack occurred amidst the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests on Thursday, which led to violent clashes between hoodlums and security operatives.
The pastor in charge of the church, David Jato, disclosed this to LEADERSHIP, lamenting that they couldn’t hold Sunday service in the auditorium because the hoodlums took everything inside the church building during the protests.
Pastor Jato explained, “We have two security men working in the church; one was on duty while the other was off. When the protest began around 10:00 am, the hoodlums, many of them in Keke NAPEP (Tricycle), diverted to the church, broke the doors and windows, and entered the church auditorium.
“They took everything inside the church auditorium, including the wall digital clock, musical instruments, pulpit, pastor’s chairs, plastic chairs, a desktop computer at the reception, and a scoreboard where the accountant usually kept church documents. They scattered everything.”
He added that three churches were targeted, but the hoodlums only succeeded in invading the Living Faith Church and Deeper Life Church. They couldn’t force their way into the Anglican Church due to the strong iron protector at the gate.
“We’ve informed the police and the Army about it, and the police told us yesterday that they have made some arrests.
“I’m surprised by this attack; when we are thinking about ending bad governance, which now escalated to the invasion of churches, it is something that everyone should seriously condemn. It is not food that we store in the House of God. It is a place of worship. Why is it only the church? The government should come to the reality that they are serving humanity, and God will judge us all, whether political or religious leaders.
“My prayer for the perpetrators is that they should repent from what they are doing because for you to enter a church, a place of worship, is wrong, and you know you are not fighting man. They should seek repentance. I know God is forgiving, and He will forgive them,” he added.
Similarly, the former state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Very Rev. Nelson Onyekachuku, whose church is named ‘Power of Resurrection’, was also affected in Katsina town, where the hoodlums vandalized the church windows, but couldn’t enter due to the iron protectors.
He condemned the action entirely, urging the hoodlums not to add pain to the church. He also called on the government to change its policy, address the grievances of the people, and ensure the protection of churches during such incidents.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Sadiq Abubakar, had yet to respond to the message sent to him at the time of filing this report. However, LEADERSHIP observed a heavy deployment of security personnel around churches across the state on Sunday to ensure hitch-free Sunday worship.