When terrorists/bandits/herdsmen kill destroy, kidnap or abduct, all of the above for whatever reason as well as demand for ransom; they are branded every evil name available in the books of lexicon – they are said not to belong to the 21st century – the digital age but of the stone age of savages.
In the same vein, their apostles/sponsors make excuses for them as only venting thier anger – terror – of being neglected and abandoned by the led through maladministration on the society where the innocents often times suffer the repercussions.
Inversely, think about a scenario where someone also in the name of religion, CHRISTIANITY of all religion, hoodwink people by whatever evil machinations into believing that mission to heaven is for cash and carry; how does one explain it!?
Such amazement and conundrum which has kept ‘eyes wide shut’ in the past few days, is the case of this said ‘pastor’ Ade Abraham, whose ramsom to take members of his congregation to heaven stands at a fee of N310, 000.
This is most unfortunate that Nigeria today has turned a savage kingdom, where people, ranging from the political class to religious class, can do anything for survival, either to get-rich quick or to acquire power as the case maybe.
But kudos to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State chapter, who has risen timely to the occasion to disown the said ‘pastor’ who had promised members of his congregation heaven for N310,000 each.
The Chairman, Rev. Joseph Hayab, denounced the proclamation of Ade Abraham, while urging Christians in the state to disregard the fraudulent proclamation.
In a statement on Wednesday in Kaduna, Hayab noted: “The attention of CAN, Kaduna State chapter, has been drawn to the news in some sections of the media about one pastor described as Ade Abraham, offering to take his members to heaven if they pay N310,000.
“Though Abraham’s offer of a ticket to heaven is cheaper than the ransom Kaduna bandits ask their victims; sadly, CAN has not found anyone that knows the location of the church or established a church in Kaduna town with that name.”
According to Hayab, a faceless character like Ade Abraham can easily give the faith of the community a bad name, especially that CAN cannot trace his whereabouts or find any useful information about his whereabouts in Kaduna.
He stated: “Is it possible that Abraham, before becoming spiritual, had lived in Kaduna, or did he come to Kaduna for a visit? How can we have such a pastor and nobody knows him, only for us to read about his drama in the media, whereas the journalists in Kaduna do not have this information?
“Kaduna CAN appeals to whosoever knows Ade Abraham or the location of a church in Kaduna linked to the alleged person to furnish it with the information, so that we could work with security agencies to prevent what could further compound the security challenges in the state.”
Though the chairman said that it would not decide what sermon her priests should preach, CAN maintained it would not hesitate to expose fake preachers when it finds one, especially when the sermon contradicts the teachings contained in the Bible.
Against this backdrop, it called for investigation of the so-called pastor’s identity and the location of his ministry to put the record straight and to avoid creating panic and misleading the public.
“CAN wishes to advise the Christian faithful not to rush into accepting every kind of teaching without first studying the Scriptures to understand if what the preacher says is true, like the Berean believers who studied the Scriptures, day and night, to confirm whether what Apostle Paul was saying was true. May God deliver us from unholy preachers,” Hayab added.
All said and weighed, it is now eyes on the ball to see how far CAN and other religious organisations can help save the vulnerable citizens in the society from these savage humans prowling for those to devour.
