Bolanle Ibrahim, a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), was assassinated in his church in the Mile 12 area of Lagos State by gunmen. When the assailants came to the church, the deceased, who was an assistant pastor at the King of King parish of the Church in Maidan village, was believed to be praying for mothers and their children during their child dedication.

The gunmen allegedly entered the church during the service and attempted to drag Ibrahim out, but a senior pastor approached them and demanded what they wanted from him. Mrs. Justina Alebiosu, the deceased aunt, told our correspondent that when the senior pastor asked the assailants who they were, they punched him in the mouth with the butt of their gun.

Alebiosu said what happened to her nephew was a clear case of hired assassination, “even before they killed him, they showed him his picture to identify if he was actually the right person they came for.” She said: “his death was an unfortunate one, we have lost a gentleman, it was true we were born as Muslims, but we converted to Christianity. My thinking is that my brother had business transaction with someone.

“I was told when the assailants wanted to drag him out of the pulpit where he was praying for women who brought their children for dedication, he begged them to kill him there and that was where he was eventually killed by the gunmen.” She added that, “the assailants also threatened to shoot any of the members of the church who dare come close to them.

“We still have an aged mother, and his wife just gave birth, his children are still young. I am appealing to the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu to release his remains for us to bury, presently we are all down morally, because of his sudden death.” The distraught wife of the deceased, Mrs. Kudirat Ibrahim said on the fateful day her husband was killed, he was fasting. She said for the period they courted she never suspected her husband to be a cultist, wondering where people heard that he was a cult member, “what they are saying about him are blatant lies, my late husband was a man of God and he served him to his death.

“I wasn’t at home on the fateful day of the incident, I went to take care of my sick mother at the hospital, I had no premonition about his death, after the deed was done, nobody called to inform me. “I never knew my husband had been killed, I was still busy calling him to bring something for me from home, not knowing that he had already been killed, whenever I called him the person who was picking his call kept telling me my husband is preaching, it was later around 7pm that my elder brother came to break the news to me about the gruesome murder of my beloved husband.”

Mrs. Agnes Ogunowo, the deceased mother who talked with reporters, said the gunmen had snatched her son and a friend from her. On the fatal Sunday, they said their goodbyes as they were leaving for church, according to Ogunowo. “I am a member of Catholic, but he attends Redeemed Christian Church of God and he was the assistant pastor of the Church, I still don’t understand why they killed my son. He was an easy going person. “My son has a new baby we are yet to take to church for dedication, now my son is no more. I want to appeal to the police to get involved in my son’s death, arrest and prosecute them.

I want God to expose those behind it, I cannot bear his death.”