http://odili.net/news/source/2011/jan/31/823.html


Hundreds of worshippers at Saint Paul African Church, Alagbado, Ogun State, on Sunday took to their heels as some hoodlums in the area attacked them with canes, stones and other weapons, preventing them from having normal Sunday service in the church.



Saint Paul African Church, Alagbado. Inset: The locked gate.



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The hoodlums, who were said to have arrived the church as early as 6am, stayed in the church premises until 12noon; successfully preventing the church service from holding.

PUNCH METRO gathered that the closure was the culmination of a cold war between some elders in the church and the town's new monarch, Oba Adedayo Shyllon. It was gathered that the monarch ordered that the church be closed for three months and the hoodlums were merely enforcing the king's order.

The Peoples' Warden and head of administration of the church, Mr. Sola Akinsanya, told our correspondent that the attack on the church by hoodlums suspeted to be the king's loyalists was as a result of a simple security measure taken by the church, which the king was not happy with.

According to him, the elders in the church met on Saturday, January 22, and decided that there would be no church service the following day because they feared that there might be a violent protest in the church.

He said, "There was a court injunction, which was served on the church. The injunction prevented Shyllon from parading himself as the king. The elders met and decided not to hold church service on that day."

"Ironically, that Sunday the elders decided to close the church coincided with the day that the new monarch chose for the thanksgiving of his coronation in the church.

But one of the elders in the church, Chief Theophilus Amodu, said there had been violent protest against the king by the youth and market women, prompting the elders to believe that his presence in the church might cause problem. "That Saturday, a young man was killed and we feared that our church might become the centre of another protest, hence the closure," he said.

However, the elders' action put the king in bad light as he and his visitors were stranded and had to quickly relocate to another church for the service. The angry king was said to have vowed to close the church for three months.

On Tuesday, January 25, the king made good his promise by locking all the entrances to the church. But the elders broke the lock and reported the case to the police.

Akinsanya said, "I called the vicar of the church and we went to the police station to make statement. The Divisional Police Officer said we should break the lock which we did. On Saturday, we wrote to the DPO requesting two armed policemen at our service today (yesterday). This morning, the sexton of the church, Mr. Wale Ogundimu, called to tell me that the church was locked again. Later we learnt that the sexton had been abducted by the thugs sent to the church.

"We went to the police station, where we also found the sexton. We made statement and the head of the station patrol and guard duty sent five policemen with us to the church on the DPO's instruction.

"When we got there, we were prevented from entering the church by the thugs numbering about 22, sent by Shyllon and led by one Fatai. After discussing with the policemen, Fatai instructed his thugs to beat everybody, we fled."

However, Amodu said that the elders would not allow the king to lock the church for three months. "We want the whole world to know our plight and we want our church opened," he said.

But the monarch said he did not send anybody to the church. "As you can see, I am just coming back from a service in another church. I don't know anything about anybody attacking them," he said.

He however admitted that he gave instruction that the church should not be opened for three months.

He said, "I went to the church last week and I met it closed. I went there with the Primate of the African church and also the Bishop of Ifako Diocese; not to talk of about four kings that accompanied me. I was totally embarrassed.

"I have my instrument of office since December 23, 2010. The coronation was just a ceremony. If somebody went to court, what is the business of the elders of the church; were they joined in the suit? What protest were the talking about? There was no protest, the boy that died was killed on Monday during the clash of the butchers at the market there, not here. My father was among the five people that established that church; I am the Patron of the Archdeaconry and they locked me out.

"Of course, I said that since the elders wanted to close the church, the church would remain closed for the next three months. I said it before the bishop and the primate and they said nothing. I am the king of this town. I don't know anything about today's disturbance, but I know I said that the church would remain close for three months."

That monarch dares God
where is the God of the old-testament to come and reign some brimstone and firestone on this wretched man

may God punish him.who is he and who gave him the power to lock a church.i think this so called king has crossed his borders of authority.may God strike him dead.Ruuuubbbbbiiiiiissssssshhhhhh!

i

chi 3280:

may God punish him.who is he and who gave him the power to lock a church.i think this so called king has crossed his borders of authority.may God strike him dead.Ruuuubbbbbiiiiiissssssshhhhhh!

we need to get rid of all these so-called oba's and baale's. this aint the 18th century. its 21st baby, AND DEM GET POLICE FOR THAT AREA O. WETIN DPO DEY DO WHEN THUGS GO BLOCK SERVICE?, ONLY IN NIGERIA

this is lawlessness unlimited, what power does a king have to close the house of God. That king is playing God and will soon see fire. even if he built it with money,he still doesnt have thhe right to close a church, thr church should take him to court, they will surely win the case. this king will soon be disgrced by God.

It is becoming a menace now how the so called Oba's now took law into theirr hands it is so alarming not long ago the ex Deji of Akure pull his own string and now is another Oba that ordered church to be close just because the people of the town rejected him this is weird

king Herod played God and was eaten by maggots this fool of an oba will have his own calamity served to him on a platter. Because of his bruised ego he has to desecrate the house of God.

Let the Bible Speak

Acts 12:19-24  (NIV, ©2010)

Herod’s Death

"19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that
they be executed. Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20 He had been quarreling with the people
of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted
personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.

21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.
22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give
praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

24 But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

am i dreaming or wat? An ordinary oba of alagbado ordering d closure of the church of the most high? r u kidding me? Cos he has done dat,d curses in d bible, received by those dat dared God in the days of old,will nvr leave his home.AMEN
wat a rubbish!!

What we are hearing from the area is that Shyllon is not the right oba, the people of Agbado are already preparing another person to be their king.

bi ilw wu:

What we are hearing from the area is that Shyllon is not the right oba, the people of Agbado are already preparing another person to be their king.

so we heard too.but y on earth would he send hoodlums to close a CHURCH!!!

Why? This has ended in 17th century, kings do praise God these days

IF GOD start punishing him he will start cryin to satan,may GOD forgive bcuz he no know what he is doin.i mean the kind of problem creat for his FOOLISH self

Osama Bin King!

whats up with him, and his name sounds like he should be a christian.

All of u quoting scriptures and insulting the king are just wasting ur time.That church will remain closed until the king says otherwise. We live in a country that crowd is king. So except the church has its own army, that church will remain closed and nothing theelders or the police can do about it. Didn't you notice that the police cant do anything? The can only take statement.

I prophesy, this so called king will die mysteriously

Every one like to show power in Nigeria.

bi ilw wu:

What we are hearing from the area is that Shyllon is not the right oba, the people of Agbado are already preparing another person to be their king.

His action leaves no doubt.

All those clamouring for our traditional rulers to be have constitutional relevance should learn from this. Imagine the impudence, "Im the king of this town, wtf? common, anyway only in Africa

hes power drunkened

God don suffer for this world

God have mercy cos he(oba) doesn't knw what is doing.

Who has the Constitutional right to stop church service from holding? Mere Mortals Mocking Mighty Majesty, Almighty God!

Overbearing and flagrant mis-use of "power"! Who enthroned the fake OBA self? God save Nigeria.

@@@@
hmmm

Please let us look closely at this article; it looks to me like the Church leaders are on the side of the Oba's "enemies". He was insulted and embarrassed by these elders who are not supposed to meddle in political matters. He came for Thanksgiving, but was disgraced because their candidate lost? Read closely and notice that his father was one of the founders of that Church and he is the Patron. My opinion may not be popular, but i think in life it is always better to look at the two sides of the coin. Authorities everywhere have powers to close any house of worship for a number of reason, I leave God to judge the rest.

This man cannot be a king, I am sure he is just a representative his behaviour is a replica of those in the jungle ruling over Animals. A ruler? Mali or Songhai? He has to be oriented that period has past. Please fellow NL. Can Oba kan sha shut a market for a week without the Local Government Chairman stops his salary not to talk of Almighty Governors. He be like say the initial Gra Gra dey shack him, he will soon wake up into reality. Oba my foot.

Amalaaba:

Please let us look closely at this article; it looks to me like the Church leaders are on the side of the Oba's "enemies". He was insulted and embarrassed by these elders who are not supposed to meddle in political matters. He came for Thanksgiving, but was disgraced because their candidate lost? Read closely and notice that his father was one of the founders of that Church and he is the Patron. My opinion may not be popular, but i think in life it is always better to look at the two sides of the coin. Authorities everywhere have powers to close any house of worship for a number of reason, I leave God to judge the rest.

His father was one of the founders which shows he is a prodigal son, pulling down his fathers legacy. Pls can you quote the portion of the constitution that gives him the power to go against the constitution 'freedom of worship' I'm sure the father must be turning in his grave now lamenting the kind of idiot he had for a heir.

elders of the church don't have to drag the church they are leading into a towns political affair, they should have left their political affinities at home not even at the church's door step.

'the day they choose to close the church coincidentally was the day the oba chose for his thanksgiving'.
tell that to the birds in the farm, even a jackass as dumb as it is knows the truth there.
well as for the oba himself, he has only demonstrated that the townspeople had been right all along and that he lacks the true wisdom of a king nd ruler. a true king wouldnt have dared God, he would have been more diplomatic and gentle in response and that may even win the peoples heart for him. solomon that single handedly built a temple for the most high neva went around bragging how he did that nor did he ever meddle wit their affairs. plz oba wise up

We usually watch incident like this in NTA soaps in those days. But they are now happening live in our society. I don't blame him because this days, i kind of find it difficult to differentiate between some churches and a business center.

He he he wonders shall neva end?