BREAKING NEWS, Politics
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GOVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the early morning on Wednesday, January 25, foiled an attempt by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, from arresting Johnson Suleiman, an apostle of The Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide in Ado Ekiti, capital of Ekiti State.
Suleiman was alleged to have been preaching against Islamising Nigeria and asked members of his church in Auchi, Edo State to resist the killings by suspected Fulani herdsmen, who he alleged of targeting Christians for decimation.
The pastor who was in Ado Ekiti for a two-day crusade that was also attended by Fayose was trailed after paying a courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House to his hotel room by the operatives of the DSS in Adebayo area of the State capital who almost forced their way to his room but were resisted by security men of the hotel that insisted to know their mission.
Alarmed by the development, the pastor reportedly called to alert Fayose who personally led a rescue mission to prevent the arrest and took the pastor to safety. Suleiman, narrating his experience said: “I came to Ado Ekiti for a crusade. But I had a premonition that I was being trailed after I preached that Christians should retaliate any attack or killings by the Fulani herdsmen. These Fulani headmen had turned many Christians to orphans and widowers but the time has come to protect ourselves.
“I received several calls from hidden numbers trying to locate where I am and I had warned my security not to allow any Fulani man to come nearer me. So when the men of DSS came in the middle of the night I knew their mission and I had to call the Governor because if they arrest me, they will put this country in fire”.
Fayose said he was surprised that a man of God was been trailed to be arrested by the men of DSS instead of inviting him. He said: “I think it is wrong for a man of God who is armless that could be invited if they have any issue against him. Are Christians and Moslems under different dispensation of the rule of law? That’s why I went there to rescue him. Let them kill two of us together. But when they saw my vehicles and the crowd, they fled. “But we have information that instructions came from the DSS in Abuja that the pastor should be arrested. We are not in a fascist state, federal government must learn to respect the rights of Nigerians and freedom of expression.”
Fayose alleged that it was unbecoming of the federal government to be harassing the men of God in the country noting that Pastor Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, was similarly harassed and forced to resign shortly after he visited him in Ado Ekiti. He said: “This is unacceptable; we are in a democracy and Nigerians should warn the Presidency against putting this country on fire because religion is an emotional thing.”
The governor also warned security operatives against intimidation and arrest of men of God in the interest of peace and religious harmony in the country, saying “the constitution guarantees freedom of worship.”
— Jan 25, 2017 @ 15:14 GMT
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