A Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has been hacked to death in his Church premises in FESTAC Town by new converts.
Reports say that the victim, Pastor Babatunde Dada was attacked by 2 young men who recently joined the RCCG Chapel of Resurrection on 13 Road, 6th Avenue, FESTAC Town.
A friend of the deceased, Fred Enemigin said the cleric was hacked to death on Thursday, 2nd of December by some new converts.
He added that the perpetrators had come to the church on the Sunday before the incident for the first time.
When an alter call was made for those who wanted to give their lives to Christ was made, they responded.
After church service, they requested for a place to lay their heads as they claimed they were stranded.
Reports say that the church accommodated them on its premises having listened to their pathetic story.
They had barely spent a week in the church before they allegedly stabbed the clergyman to death.
Akin Odejare, a senior pastor in the church declined comments on the incident when contacted by newsmen.
However, the heavily pregnant wife of the slain pastor, Bose, told PUNCH Metro on the phone that she called her husband on the day of the incident and he promised to come home to rest.
According to her, “My husband was killed on December 2 at the church. He was the admin/account officer as well as the parish pastor. I was not with him when he was was killed, but I was told that they collect edmoney from him. I heard that those who killed him were new converts.“
A family member who s also a security expert, Abolarinwa Olatunbosun told newsmen on Wednesday that the Pastor was killed after withdrawing money from the bank.
According him, “The pastor went to a bank to withdraw some money and went to rest on the first floor of the church. Two persons said to be new converts went to meet him upstairs, broke his head and killed him.
“The matter was reported to the police and one of the suspects who ran to Ilorin, has been arrested.”
Olatunbosun is concerned that the killing might be for ritual purposes. He said that the killers were suspected to be internet fraudsters, aka Yahoo boys.
He added that criminals were beginning to attack churches and pastors because they believe that there is money in the church.
He advised places of worship to be security conscious and put in place, strategies that could stop criminals from killing, kidnapping and robbing leaders and worshippers.
Pastor Enimigin, founder of Highflyers International, Lagos said in a Facebook post that the pastor was stabbed multiple times.
In a lengthy post titled WE ARE IN GREAT PAIN! WHAT A WICKED WORLD! sent on on Afikpo Jokwa, he said:
….This Will Be An Eye Opener To The Way We Welcome New Converts And Visitors In Our Churches }
Pastor Tunde Dada was murdered last Thursday December 2, 2021 inside his office at RCCG, Chapel of Ressurection, Festac Town, Lagos by some boys suspected to be cultists.
What would cultists have to do with a Pastor? This was my initial reaction when I first heard about the ugly incidence not realizing that the victim is one of my sons at Highflyers Int’l. The real story became unfolded to me as one of our members posted the picture of the deceased and the story behind his untimely death on Highflyers’ WhatsApp Platform this morning.
Two boys had come to Church last Sunday and they responded to the alter call by giving their lives to Christ. After church service, they waited to see the head pastor and told him that they were stranded without any place to stay. On compassionate grounds, the pastor allowed them to stay somewhere within the church premises pending when they would be resettled. Pastor Tunde Dada who had for almost a decade been the church accountant of RCCG Chapel of Ressurection Parish, was assigned to provide needed welfare for the boys until their matter will become sorted.
On the fateful Thursday, Tunde was seated in his office and the boys targeting that they were alone in the church premises with him, entered his office and attacked him with knives and other sharp weapons. He was stabbed multiple times and places until they had him killed right there on the spot. Our minds are still searching for what the rift between the boys and Tunde was considering the fact that the Tunde we knew was a very gentle soul. Could they have asked for more welfare than what was approved for them and Tunde declined? What on earth would warrant this brutal killing by those who were recipients of a server of the Church’s benevolence? There are many more questions that we have not found answers to.
We are in great pain and grief as members of Highflyers Int’l for losing such a gentle soul. Pastor Tunde Dada just got married only last year and his wife is heavily pregnant. His 1st marriage anniversary is suppose to be celebrated this same month. What a wicked world?
Notwithstanding the gross darkness sorrounding this world, the Church will never stop being the Light that she is. The Head Pastor of RCCG, Chapel of Ressurection did what was right by providing shelter and welfare to “strangers” and of course, fulfilling scriptures. “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it” (HEB 13:2) Our calling as Pastors is very tasking and may God strengthen the good works of our hands as we keep lighting up this dark world.
Adieu Pastor Tunde Dada, may your gentle soul rest in perfect peace. Amen.
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RCCG Pastor Shot Dead During Church Service