Cleric flee over alleged threats to life by terrorists
Picture of Dr. Nosa Aizotoigbe and the damaged parts of his vehicle after the attack
General Overseer of City of Zion Church of All Nations, Nigeria, Dr. Nosa Aizotoigbe, has reportedly fled over alleged threats to his life by suspected terrorists.
It was gathered from a reliable source that the cleric, an avowed preacher against terrorism, recently received a threat letter from a suspected terrorist group, warning him to stop a warfare prayer conference he was planning against terrorism in Nigeria, particularly by the Boko Haram insurgents and the killer herdsmen, the two main terrorist groups in the country.
The source added that barely two days after the cleric received the threat letter on his church altar, some assailants attacked his church with dangerous weapons during a vigil service and the entire congregation scampered for safety.
It was added that the pastor also noticed some unknown persons trailing him for four days before he decided to flee with his family for safety.
The source further explained that the threats and attacks on the pastor by suspected terrorists were not unconnected to his recent declaration of spiritual warfare against the menace of terrorist groups, particularly Boko Haram and killer herdsmen in the country.
Dr. Aizotoigbe had in an interview published in a Nigerian newspaper and some online platforms advised the Nigerian government to look beyond military solution to the menace of Boko Haram insurgency and Killer herdsmen in the country.
He urged the government to seek spiritual solution to the activities of these two terrorist groups, which he said have defied military solution over the years.
He offered to organise a prayer conference tagged “War Against Boko Haram and Killer herdsmen” to assist the government in finding spiritual solution to terrorism in the country.
“It is going to be a total spiritual warfare against Boko Haram and the killer herdsmen in the country. We are going to host prayer warriors from all over the country to intercede in prayers for Nigeria. I can assure Nigerians and our leaders that Boko Haram and the killer herdsmen cannot defy spiritual solution,’ the cleric had declared in the interview.
Aizotogbe, who was reported to have suffered previous bullet attacks on his car by herdsmen in Benin, Edo State, according to the source, had flee with his wife and children to avoid fresh attacks from terrorists.
The source said his decision to flee with his family members was also informed by a similar threat the cleric received two years ago before his church was vandalized by some assailants after a prayer warfare he organised against a terrorist group known as Badoo boys from Ikorodu, Lagos state.
The source told news men that the cleric said he reported to the Nigeria police the alleged attacks on his church by suspected Badoo boys, in which he and church members escaped by whisker, but alleged that it seemed the police had not done anything about the report of the attacks.
And in order not to take any chances, the source disclosed that Aizotoigbe had reported to the police the latest alleged threats and attacks on his life by suspected terrorists.
As at the time of filing this report, the whereabouts of Dr. Nosa Aizotoigbe with his family remains unknown.
