The Celestial Church of Christ, CCC, Acts of Apostle Parish, Ketu, Alapere, Lagos, has been thrown into turmoil following the church authority’s donation of N5 million.
It was gathered that the issue began last week during a Sunday service when an acclaimed son of the church founder, Muyiwa Oluponna, rushed into the church and disrupted the service in an attempt to install himself as the church’s shepherd.
Oluponna allegedly took the microphone from the church’s acting shepherd, Adetayo Adetola, during the sermon and claimed the right to conduct sermons every second Sunday of the month.
A viral video that circulated on social media captured the disruption and showed Oluponna and some CCC members having a heated fight.
According to our correspondent, the incident compelled the CCC leadership, through a task team commanded by Akinbode Adjovi, to close the church for 40 days.
Adetola told reporters that Oluponna demanded that the N5 million donated by the CCCe authority to the parish for the refurbishment and construction of a priest housing be handed to her family.
“That Sunday, our shepherd was not around, and I was put in charge of the church. I was also assigned to give the sermon. We started the service, and everything was going well until he (Oluponna) snatched the microphone from me, demanding to speak.
“I respected him and gave him the microphone because I knew him as a family member of the church founder. Immediately he collected the microphone, and he said the N5m given to the church by the headquarters for renovation does not belong to the church but to the family of Oluponna, who founded the church.
“He also demanded that money be given to the family, insisting that the church belongs to the family and not the community or the CCC authorities.
“He also demanded that he be made the church shepherd and be allowed to give sermons every second Sunday of the month. We all kept quiet until he finished.
“After that, I took over to deliver the sermon, but to everybody’s surprise, he came back and snatched another microphone from one of the choristers and came to the pulpit to give the sermon. That was when we all resisted him,” Adetola said.
Also speaking, the church’s shepherd, Emmanuel Iperepolu, claimed that Oluponna had been making issues in the church by threatening him and other church members he thought to be against him.
Iperepolu stated that the incident had been reported to church authorities and the police.
“I think the donation prompted him to do what he did, but before the issue of the money came, he had been coming to the church to threaten and abuse me and others. However, immediately after he heard about the donation, he came and demanded that the money be handed over to the family.
“He said the church belongs to the family of Oluponna; hence, the money belongs to the family and not the church. The church authority has taken over the issue, and they have invited me and representatives of the family for questioning,” Iperepolu said.
Meanwhile, Kayode Ajala, CCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, announced that the church had been closed to prevent future breakdowns in law and order.
“The church is a house of God, but when things are going wrong and people’s lives are being threatened, we have to do something.
“The church authorities cannot fold their arms and allow people to get killed; we have to intervene, and this is why we shut down the church temporarily while an investigation is going on.
“All those involved in the conflict are being talked to, and resolution is going on, and once all that is done, the church will be reopened,” Ajala said.
