For the Millennium Gospel Mission, a self-acclaimed spiritual church located at Oremeji Street, Alekuwodo, Osogbo, Osun State, it was the end of a most controversial and mysterious era. Last week, the acts of the church that had been hidden in the past 30 years were brought to the open. Human skulls and other vital parts of the human body were allegedly discovered inside the church after it was set ablaze by an irate mob tired of the mysterious spiritual operations of members.

The development caused a pandemonium in Osogbo, as many youths and residents of the town trooped out to stage a violent protest against the activities of the church. According to many, the founder of the sect, Late Mr. Jacob Adebayo Oladele had died about 20 years ago. His followers kept worshipping his skeleton even after his demise.
Members of the controversial sect were said to regard to founder of the sect as their god and saviour who died for them. As a result, they made their supplications through him.

On Wednesday, January 11, many people were totally bamboozled when they discovered that the skeleton of the founder of the sect was still being worshipped over 20 years after his death. Various objects, including human blood, as well as other ritual objects were used to worship the corpse of the Late Oladele. Indeed, members of the sect visited the church daily to seek divine guidance and direction for the day from their deceased leader.
Trouble started for members of the sect when about 13 members, led by a three-year-old boy, allegedly came out in the night to perform rituals at a junction close to the church along WAEC Road, Osogbo.

The members were said to have marched in a procession while one of them was beating a drum. The situation forced residents of the area to move out and see what was happening, after which they challenged the peculiar worshippers. The sect members were subsequently arrested by residents of the area who gave them the beating of their lives before handing them over to the police. They then set the church building ablaze even as an angry mob that had converged on the area immediately the news broke out started a protest. One of the protesters raised the alarm that some members of the sect were camped in a building close to the church. He then led the mob to the building.

Eyewitnesses said the man became unconscious as soon as he entered the building and it took the intervention of some members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) before he could regain his consciousness. The OPC members later broke into the building where some members of the sect were staying. Some other persons who appeared to have been used for rituals were also discovered in a hypnotised state in the building. A resident of the area who also forced his way into the building told our reporter that a young girl was seen kneeling down with some bananas on her palm inside the building. According to him, in spite of the numerous stones thrown at her, the girl could not be brought down. She was eventually brought down by mobile policemen who used their weapons to push her down.

But for the prompt arrival of the police, the mob would have set fire on the members of the sect found in the building. The police eventually dispersed the mob with teargas. For long, several mysterious tales had been told of activities going on in the church. For instance, the main doors leading to the church were said to have remained unopened since it was built over 30 years ago, a development that had always confounded residents of the area. It was learnt that some residents of the area who noticed strange operations in the church at midnights had in 2010 reported their suspicions to the state police command, but nothing was heard from the law enforcement agents thereafter.

It was also gathered that the church, which had a membership of close to 80 people, often had some of its members walking naked in the evenings, especially on Fridays. Our reporter was told that, many people had vacated their apartments in the area and sought accommodation elsewhere. A resident of the area, Mr. Seun Ayotunde said: “The church has been there since I was a child, and I have never seen its doors opened either in the day or at night. We only noticed that some people came out of the church naked occasionally and that always worried us in this area. We were tired of the church even before the incident of that Wednesday. What happened shows that God has answered our prayers, and it shows that truth will always prevail over falsehood even if it takes time. We only pray that this case will not be like other ones that will soon be forgotten by the law enforcement agents.”

“It was the children that called the attention of some people to the development on that fateful Wednesday night. People of the area knew the activities of the members of the church but nobody dared to talk. Fortunately, the information got to the OPC members who led the protest and that was how an end came to their acts and their deeds of many years were exposed to the public. They were handed over to the police after their property had been vandalized and the buildings burnt by the protesters.”

He added: “The angry mob dared the police due to the fact that we were all tired of their unholy operations in the area. The protesters insisted that the policemen should kill them if they would not allow them to burn the church. When it became very obvious that there would be loss of lives if the policemen denied them, the police left the scene. Some members of the sect have now been arrested and very soon, we hope to hear from the police on further developments on the matter. “Nobody in this area can tell you when the members of the sect entered or came out of that church. The door was always locked. We would only hear their voices either in the day or at night. We are appealing to the police to ensure that they get to the root of the matter and punish the offenders appropriately. Because if these people should regain their freedom, we are no more free in this area.”

Members of the sect, it was learnt, included both young and old men and women, and they appeared inside the building thrice a week, including nights. Vigils were also said to be held by members of the sect on Fridays. The activities of the sect, according to competent sources, were always held inside the church even though the doors and windows of the building were always closed. But their loud noise always disturbed the residents of the area who had reportedly made frantic efforts to curtail them to no avail. A member of the sect who identified himself as Olusanmi Oladele claimed that members of the sect were worshiping the “universal god of Jacob Adebayo Oladele (JAO).” He said even though their ‘god’ had passed on, the deceased still answered their prayers. He said they would continue to worship Oladele until they all joined him in heaven.

Said he: “The name of our god is God Oladele. And the church was founded and owned by him. I am one of the children of our god. It is the god of Oladele that created the church and he is the one we are following and we will continue to follow him even after this trying time of ours, which we are bound to overcome. Although god Oladele is dead, but we believe so much in his powers and ability to do whatever we ask from him for us and that is why we are still following him even till today, years after he had died.”

It was also gathered that a branch of the mysterious church located at Capital area of Osogbo was also set ablaze by the protesters, just as a business café belonging to a member of the sect was razed during the violent protest.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Solomon Olusegun who confirmed the incident, said that the angry mob trooped to the church when they discovered that rituals were being carried out at the place to the detriment of human lives. “The angry mob stormed the church and set it on fire. They said the church is fetish and that the worshipers are using other human beings for rituals. The worshipers have been arrested and we are?investigating the matter. Further details will be made known as soon as police conclude investigations on the matter,” the police boss said.


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2012/jan/20/national-20-01-2011-006.html

latogng:


The development caused a pandemonium in Osogbo, as many youths and residents of the town trooped out to stage a violent protest against the activities of the church. According to many, the founder of the sect, Late Mr. Jacob Adebayo Oladele had died about 20 years ago. His followers kept worshipping his skeleton even after his demise.
Members of the controversial sect were said to regard to founder of the sect as their god and saviour who died for them. As a result, they made their supplications through him.

But why are this christians angry, they worship the dead so what! hiss