By Ebilebi Agbalumo, YeyeNews.com, September 9, 2021
What started as pandemonium by morning ended as pure drama by evening last Saturday when it was reported that Reverend Goodness Lokpobiri, the senior pastor of Seven Thunders and Fire Ministries, Sapele, had been kidnapped. According to eyewitnesses who spoke with YeyeNews.com reporter, the fiery cleric was stopped by two armed men and forced into a taxi as he made his way out of the church premises that morning.
It was quickly reported to the police while the Church deacons called for an emergency meeting following the shocking announcement that ‘Papa’, as he is fondly called, had been kidnapped.
Things took another turn when the demands of the kidnappers were sent through a letter delivered through a street cobbler even while the police refused to move unless a mobilization fee to the tune of a hundred thousand Naira was paid. In their letter the kidnappers asked to be sent the sum of one million naira before noon if the Church still wanted to see the pastor alive.
Speaking to Yeyenews.com street correspondent, Ebilebi Agbalumo, one of the deacons who spoke under the condition of anonymity said that since the police officers were asking for a hundred thousand naira and the kidnappers were asking for a million, the church had to decide on which ransom to pay.
“It was a difficult situation,” he said, “but we decided that because of time, it was better to raise money for the kidnappers. At the end we were only able to raise about three hundred thousand Naira.”
The plot turned into drama when a popular drunk known in the street the church is located on as ‘Heineken 2 Bo’, whom the pastor had always mentioned as a good example of why alcohol is a sin, disrupted the fundraising with news that he had seen the kidnapped pastor.
“The young man refused to tell us where he had seen our pastor unless we bought him something to drink.” Another deacon told Yeyenews.com. “We promised him a crate of his favorite, but he demanded a complimentary bottle of kaikai in addition. We had not choice, we finally agreed to this unpleasant and sinful-seeming arrangement.”
According to this deacon the risk of trusting ‘Heineken 2 Bo’ was worth it at the end.
“He led us to a beer parlor in the outskirts of town where we saw the said taxi parked beside it, and upon entering we saw our pastor drinking with his said kidnappers.”
Reverend Goodnews Lokpobiri was not available for comments as he had escaped from the back door of the beer parlor. His wife, who was pushed to speak, eventually confessed to the scam stating that it was her husband’s intention to move the ministry to the permanent site, and as the revenue from the church offerings was declining, they had to device a means to get the money.
At the time of filing this report, more than half of all the congregants have left the church. The general consensus YeyeNews.com got from those who are still members of the church was that Pastor must have a good reason to do this and nobody should judge God’s anointed.
When contacted by YeyeNews.com, the Public Relation Officer of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Sapele Chapter, said they were aware of the matter and had disfellowshipped the said pastor.
