After the message, the thanksgiving offering was done, the pastor came back to the pulpit and gave his announcement. I just love my pastor, the way he jumps, shouts. His youthful orientation and alliance was appealing.

He said the coming Sunday, we should be expecting a drama group who will be performing. He ended the announcement by saying “If you are allergic to revelations, don’t come to church next Sunday.”

Most of us didn’t understand what he meant when he made the statement. He started the message fully and ended it, after the offering the service ended. He repeated the statement again. “If you are allergic to revelation, please don’t come to church next Sunday.” Still, most of us didn’t understand. We took it as his usual jokes. The service ended and we went home.

The Sunday came. I prepared myself for church. I actually want to blessed, not only by the pastor’s message but from the drama, it would be a plus.

The Sunday service started with Sunday school and later praise and worship. I was sitting at the middle of the congregation; from there, one can count about 20 rows to the last row/line in the church. The church was so filled to the capacity that there were little spaces. But thank God there was air condition. Where I was sitting was about 3 chairs to one of the exit and entrance door. It was time for the drama. The Pastor came and introduced the drama group.

Pastor was still on the alter with the microphone when I heard people from behind running towards me,

“Yay yay, bomb ! boko haram,” people were screaming.

Before I knew what was happening, the lady and the guy sitting close to me stood up from their chair to run. It was a pity, the church had scattered, there was little space for an escape.

Within 3 minutes all these were happening, my mind was wondering. How come boko haram invaded our church. With all the securities in my church. Before we entered, we were thoroughly searched and screened with the bomb detector at the entrance of the church. How come Boko boys entered. with the crowd in the church struggling to leave. I turned around, the crowd alone I saw moving with rush towards my side, because that was where the exit door is. looking at the crowd alone could make a someone collapse. I was yet to see the boko haram boys. But was I a fool waiting to see them before running for my life! Before I knew what was happening, so many are on the floor. Dis one na stampede. Come see as people just dey fall kata-kata for ground. One guy just dive untop of me. As I tried and struggled to get up, I couldn’t. I have suddenly turned to rug. Many were stepping on me to get out. many plastic chairs had broken. I was weak on the floor, not until I heard, “see dem ohh, na bomb dey inside the black nylon.” Immediately I heard that, no one told me how to struggle. I didn’t know how I did it to find my fit. I was able to struggle and I found myself outside the exit door. I was running for safety. About 40 people were struggling to get out through that door.

Getting outside the church building, I was rushing towards the gate when I saw about 20 people from that direction moving back towards my direction. I was hearing gunshot sounds from the direction they were running from. I do not need another prophecy to tell me that the bad guys were at the gate. ‘What should I do,’ move back into the church building that is not safe. As I was contemplating on what to do, I looked again towards the direction the other people were running from, I saw them; yes them! With their jihadist dressing with heavy guns. “Chaii, my own don finish today,” I thought to myself. i couldn’t still believe what I was seeing. So all those things I was reading in the newspaper about boko haram invading churches in Adamawa and Yobe, it has finally befallen my church in Abuja. “Am I going to die today? Is it the end for me,” I thought to myself. I began to think. What would my fate be if I die, have I given my life to Christ, was I clean.

I ran as fast as possible as the boko boys chased us with their big guns. I immediately ran, as I was running, I realized that one of the boko boys was chasing only me. “Chaiii, my own don finish today,” I thought. I ran as fast as possible, he still continued chasing me with his daga and gun. For my mind I was thinking, “Na only God know wetin this guy go take my neck do with that knife wey dey him hand,” “Chaiiii, dis man go kill me like chicken,” I thought and began to cry. I was shouting, “Pastor save ooo, blood of Jesus oo.”

I got to the church fence. It was too high, like 9 feet. I began jumping till my hands caught up with the top edge. Na so I pull myself, and jumped to the other side which was bush. “Thank God I am safe,” I thought. I never knew that the guy chasing me meant business. He want die untop my matter. As I was struggling inside the bush, I turned and discovered that this boko boy was still chasing me. “Chaiii, my own don finish today. Na today my own go end.” This guy no gree leave me ooo. I tried to see if I could run as fast as possible, but I couldn’t. I have even sustained some injuries on my two legs. As I try running fast, he also chased me with his gun till he caught up me while I fell on the floor. He pointed the gun to my face while I was on the ground. Then I started confessing all my sins. That God should forgive me and accept my soul when I get to his bosom. “If you move, I move you. If you shake, I shake you,” he screamed with a loud voice.

“Give me your hand,” he said to me smiling. Waite ooo, shey boko boys dey smile ! he asked me to stand up while he stretched his hand to me and helped me up. I was thing my own was finished. Now they have captured me. Maybe they would show my live execution in their video. As I followed him, he started preaching for me. Wetin com dey happen for here. I know com understand ooo. He asked if I was scared. “Of course I am,” I replied. who won’t be when you discover that the devil has invaded the church and began taking holy communion. “Everything you see that has happened today is part of the drama,” he said. He made me understand if he was indeed a boko haram member, he doesn’t need to chase me to that extent. He would have shot me long ago. And that was true. They were just chasing us and didn’t shoot us. chaii, na so I come they look like lucozade. I no fit talk again. so na drama be all these things wey them turn church upside down.

We got to the church. People had already started moving in. those who sustained injuries were being treated. A man dressed in rag and jihadist cloth was already preaching. He explained that everything that happened is part of the message and drama. He titled the message “FEAR”. He said we shouldn’t have ran away when he came into the church, even if it was boko haram. He said there was nothing wrong if boko haram came in. We are safe in the house of the lord. Even if we died, we died in the house of God.

But trust some people nah. They murmured in disagreement. Come to think of it, it wasn’t our fault we ran; nobody wants to die even inside the church. So many of us really enjoyed the message but some people who haven’t yet recovered from the shock and injury were still reluctant. After the message, the Pastor took the micro phone and said “did you remember last week Sunday when I told you that if you are allergic to revelations, don’t come to church today”. Then I realize what the pastor meant when he made the statement. The pastor said that what happened happened to us was small. He said when the invited minister went to one of the churches in a northern state were boko haram was operating more. He came inside the church dressed like a mad man and accompanied with two men dressed in black carrying a real gun and some live ammunition. Immediately he stormed the church with these men, everyone ran away and he ran after them. All of us were laughing as the pastor said it. Only God knows the number of injuries those church members will have that day, in what is supposed to be a drama. What the drama minister wants to tell us is that fear can put us into bondage and we should stand on faith with God and be not afraid of the adversary. He said we shouldn’t have ran away when he came in. But to some people that wasn’t right because you can’t use spiritual things to compare physical, we are humans that supposed to be conscious of what is happening around us, nobody wants to die before his/her time. A man sitting close to me said that in this kind of experience the “be not afraid “ in the spiritual is to stand firm but physically it means “Run for your life”. People will always run whether they know what is pursuing them or not. Though it’s not my fault I ran. If you were to be in that situation won’t you run?
http://www.hovabuzz.com/frontline/939-my-crazy-experience-the-day-boko-haram-invaded-my-church-in-abuja

sorry for the invasion

the drama is expensive

Interesting, though non-fictional. Your own side of d story made me laugh taya. But some pple may not 4give ur pastor o due 2 d injury or d health hazard. It reminds me of d bomb explosion in Ikeja Barracks more than a decade ago. So many pple were herding towards a stagnant river 2 end their lives. The river, in Ikotun, far 4rm Ikeja drowned more than hundred of them. What they heard was only d sound.

Front page tins mehn.

Funniest part was where op said he wants to die ontop my matter.

Nice one o. I like this. But who will sit and allow himself to become boko barbecue? Abi is it now a sin to run for your life

Jfk said we shud fear fear itself.
Thnk God no weak hearted person died from shock.
Your pastor has a sense of humour. He actually, gave you people a very rare but useful life experience.
Exposure to highly tensed situation, so tht you people would see your selves reacting in technicolor.
No forming, but your true self came forth. In d event of a real live attack, your reaction may b more tempered as you'd hav had some experience already.

The experience was great But many sustained injuries