Pastor Charles Kpandei, who replaced a former Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God’s City of David parish in Lagos State, Idowu Iluyomade, resumed at the parish on Sunday.
According to Church Times, on resumption, Kpandei first introduced himself to the church and then preached on the subject of heaven.
Kpandei urged members to welcome one another to church during the second service of the City of David.
He said, “Are you really happy to be in church today? For those of you who are just coming for the second service, it is important to tell you that I am called Pastor Charles Kpandei.
“You need that name because you are going to tell somebody that on behalf of Pastor Charles Kpandei, you are welcome to church today.”
Before going to the main message, he prayed that God would remember the City of David for good, quoting Nehemiah 13v14.
According to the report, the parish is being audited by a notable audit firm amid an alleged N320 million debt, following the suspension of Iluyomade on June 1, 2024.
Iluyomade was suspended for three months by the church’s Governing Council after a panel was constituted to investigate the allegations against him and the parish.
He was asked to resume at the church’s headquarters after the suspension.
The embattled Pastor Iluyomade, fondly called PID, received a letter of his suspension two weeks ago and was immediately replaced by Kpandei of the church’s Resurrection Parish Region 11.
Iluyomade, who is the Special Assistant to the RCCG General Overseer on Christian Social Responsibility, has been in the eyes of the storm following the elaborate 60th birthday of his wife, Siju, shortly after the death of the then Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, who was a prominent member of his church.
Iluyomade according to sources within the church was suspended on two issues bordering on the audit of the church and the alleged resistance by the pastor to be transferred from the parish.
The source who prefers to be anonymous told Church Times that the parish is currently being audited by an audit firm which is not an RCCG financial and audit practice.
The source added that the audit was necessary because RCCG auditors did not audit most of the provinces under the Apapa family.
“Iluyomade, the erstwhile pastor of the church, was suspended on June 1 following complaints and allegations against him. He was asked to resume at the church’s headquarters.
“The parish is currently being audited by KPMG, which is not an RCCG financial and audit practice. It was necessary to get an external auditor because before now, most of the provinces under the Apapa Family were not audited by RCCG auditors, ” the source noted.
During Sunday’s church service on June 9, one of the pastors made the announcement, stating that the church paid about N15 million for the construction of the Trinity Tower between June 1 and 8.
The pastor, however, told the congregation that the parish had an outstanding N320 million debt, which was indicated in the financial sheet displayed on the screen.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
