A viral video clip of the pastor brandishing an AK-47 rifle on the altar generated mixed reactions from Nigerians, with some people calling for his arrest.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Pastor Uche Aigbe, who presides over House on the Rock Abuja, has announced he is stepping down from his pastoral duties following the storm caused by his use of an AK-47 rifle to illustrate his sermon.
Addressing his congregation on February 19, Aigbe said he was disappointed in himself for not considering the consequence of bringing the firearm to illustrate a passage in the scripture before taking the decision.
He said, “This morning, I stand before you with a deep sense of sobriety and contrition as I humbly address the event of last Sunday at the second service which most of us were a part of, where I used an unloaded firearm to illustrate some texts from the Bible regarding the good fight of faith.
“Of course, like you all know, it has caused a lot of embarrassment and pain to the entire church family, to you House on the Rock (The Refuge), to my immediate family and, of course, to myself. The decision that I made to use that firearm was not thoughtful. It has left me disappointed in myself. My action has been very traumatic for me, my family and, I am sure, for many of us. And I trust that we will never ever experience such again.”
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He said he would be withdrawing from his pastoral assignments to reflect on the events of the past week and for healing.
According to him, the decision was taken after due consultation with the church’s leadership.
“To this end, I have consulted as necessary and with acceptable guidance from the senior leadership of the church. And I would like to humbly ask for your permission to take some time to pray, meditate, reflect and also to heal from all of the things that happened and its consequence. Notwithstanding, I will always be in church on Sundays and Wednesdays to worship with you,” he said.
Aigbe also used the opportunity to pray for a peaceful and violence-free election.
A viral video clip of the pastor brandishing an AK-47 rifle on the altar generated mixed reactions from Nigerians, with some people calling for his arrest. Aigbe was preaching on the topic ‘Guarding the Faith’ on February 12 when he carried the gun.
He was invited for questioning and subsequently detained by police in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The police confirmed that the church’s chief security officer, Inspector Musa Audu, was the owner of the AK-47.