The Celestial Church of Christ Worldwide has disowned Mr. Afolabi Hodonu, a pastor who was recently arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over alleged possession of illicit drugs.
NDLEA operatives, on Thursday, arrested Hodonu and his wife at the Gbaji checkpoint in Lagos State, where about 11kg of skunk was reportedly recovered from hidden compartments in their vehicle.
Hodonu claimed to be the shepherd in charge of a Celestial Church parish located at Agonvi Sea Beach in the Seme border area of Badagry, Lagos State.
According to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, the arrest followed an earlier interception at the same checkpoint on March 30, when operatives apprehended a suspected fake security agent, Sunday Samuel, who was allegedly transporting 24.5kg of skunk from the Seme border to Lagos.
“The arrest of the couple followed the apprehension of a fake security agent… while conveying 24.5kg of skunk from Seme border to Lagos,” Babafemi said, noting that investigations from the earlier seizure led to the arrest of the cleric and his wife.
Reacting, the church, through its Head of Media and Publicity, Kayode Ajala, stated that the suspects are not affiliated with its recognised structure.
“Our administrative records confirm that the said Shepherd, Afolabi Hodonu and his wife do not belong to the Ketu mainstream of Celestial Church of Christ under the leadership of His Eminence, Reverend Emmanuel Mobiyina Oshoffa,” Ajala said.
He expressed concern over the involvement of the church’s name in the incident, describing the allegation as a “despicable act.”
Ajala further disclosed that the church would deploy a task force to the Seme area of Badagry to ascertain the facts surrounding the matter.
“Given that the name of the Celestial Church of Christ has been dragged into this despicable act, we shall dispatch our Task Force Corps to Seme, Badagry, for a fact-finding mission,” he added.