The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested a pastor from Abuja who showed up to church with an AK47 rifle.
According to a statement signed by Josephine Adeh, FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Pastor Uche Aigbe of the House on the Rock church was arrested on Monday together with two others.
The cleric, who is a pastor of the church, caused a stir on Sunday when he mounted the pulpit carrying a gun.
The incident took place during the second service, which frequently has a high turnout of the congregation, the Punch newspaper reports.
Pictures of Mr Aigbe holding the AK 47 rifle have gone viral on the internet with social media commentators raising concern about the cleric’s action.
“The pastor’s message and demonstrations were tagged inciting by various media and social media users,” the police statement read, adding, “The Church Chief Security Officer and one Inspector Musa Audu were also arrested.”
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A statement by the church however said that Pastor Aigbe carried the gun to demonstrate his message and not incite violence.
“Pastor Uche has been a leader in House on the Rock, Abuja since 1999 and has always shown exemplary leadership. However, he realizes that even with the best of intentions, carrying a gun to illustrate his message was ill-advised and regrettable.”
The church further said Mr Uche acknowledged the gravity of his actions and apologized for them.
“As a church, House on the Rock rejects all forms of violence, and we stand on the good news gospel of Jesus Christ which embraces peace and goodwill for all of mankind.
“We are cooperating fully with the authorities as they carry out their investigations into this incident, and we will continue to engage internally to ensure this break in protocol does not happen again,” the statement said.