The founder and head pastor of Love Fire Ministry, a Benin-based Pentecostal church, Pastor Godwin Emmanuel, has been assassinated by gunmen.
Pastor Godwin Emmanuel
Pastor Godwin Emmanuel, the founder and head pastor of a Benin-based pentecostal church, Love Fire Ministry, has been assassinated by unknown gunmen.
According to P.M News, the deceased cleric who was also known as Prophet Speed, and was said to have founded the church about 11 months ago, was shot dead on Sunday night along Oko Central road, off Airport road, Benin, Edo state.
While speaking to correspondents, head of media of the church, Festus Edema, who narrated the incident, said that the pastor was on his way to distribute food items to members of the church who are in need and to drop one of his members at Oko Central road, when he was shot dead by yet to be identified gunmen.
Edema explained that the assassins pretended to be pushing their car that broke down. “The man of God stopped for them to pass so that he can have his way. He never knew that they were the people who came to attack him. So they shot him in the chest and stomach.
“Being a strong man, he still tried to put the car in reverse and as he was reversing the car, he hit the fence and they came and shot him at close range. That shot silenced him,” Edema explained.
Also speaking, a member of the church who identified himself simply as Pastor Esquire, said the news of the death of the cleric devastated him.
“When I heard about the news of his death, it was devastating and shocking. It is a painful one, very painful, but God will give us the strength to go through it,” Esquire said.
When journalists visited the premises of the church, situated at 3, Ugiagbe street, off Country Home Motel Road, in Benin, members of the church were seen discussing the incident in clusters.
The state police commissioner, Haliru Gwandu, who lamented the increase in cases of assassination in the state, said men of his command are not relenting in their desire to rid the state of criminals.
He assured that those involved in the killings would be brought to justice. “My command is ever ready to deal decisively with night marauders,” Gwandu said.