Pastor who destroyed shrine in Ogun State denies being stricken, as traditionalists demands N500,000 to appease the gods

A clergyman who was reported to have been paralysed after destroying a shrine in Ketu, Ayetoro area of Ogun State, on Sept. 20th, said traditionalists beat him with charms and other fetish objects but he was not affected spiritually or physically.

Pastor Adewale Fagbire of the Christ Apostolic Church(CAC) said this on Thursday, in Abeokuta during a press conference organised by the Ogun State branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria.

Fagbere, while debunking claims that he was stricken by angry gods of the shrine and only regained consciousness after priests of the shrine carried out some rites on him, upon intervention of the Alaye of Ayetoro, Oba Abdulaziz Adelakun, said that his action was an instruction from God, that he evacuated all the fetish items in the shrine, and that while he was assaulted by the traditionalists, he decided to remain quiet.

He told those in attendance at the conference that his late father, who reigned as the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Taiwo Fagbire, used to take him to the shrine while alive.

"About what happened at Ayetoro, it was from God and direction from the Holy Spirit for the deliverance of Ayetoro from darkness. When I started what God told me, He told me to do three things in the shrine. He said that when I get there, I should evacuate; I should step aside and remain silent when people come out to see me. So, I did exactly as instructed by God on that Sept. 20. I got  there around 5.a.m. and after  I took out  those things ,God told me to wait and stay and I did so. It was not their gods that held me transfixed or struck me;  it was the idol worshipers that struck me with their charms. When I was taken to the palace, I told them that all my actions were directed by God and not human beings or the church of God. Although, they tried many charms on me, none was effective on me. I only followed the instruction of God that I should be quiet and they too know the truth." the cleric narrated.

Meanwhile, the Regional Coordinator of Yewa/Awori Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN),  Apostle Lola Dada, claims that the custodians of the shrine demanded for money from the family and CAN to appease the gods.

"They demanded for things they claimed they wanted to use for sacrifice. They asked the family of the pastor to pay N300,000 while CAN should bring N200,000,  making it N500,000  for the sacrifice to appease their gods. However, no money was given to them and peace has returned to the town,"  he said.

A move by the Police to charge Fagbere for malicious damage and act capable of breaching public peace, may have been stopped.

Spokesman of the Ogun State Police Command, Mr Abimbola Oyeyemi, told newsmen that the case might not continue because the traditionalists  "were dragging their feet on the case."

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