Unknown gunmen shot dead the Lagos state Coordinator of The Lord’s
Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, Pastor Chukwuemeka Okpokpo on
Monday.
The shooting happened at Apple Junction, Amuwo Odofin area of the state.
According to a report by Vanguard,
the gunmen, in a motorcycle, trailed the pastor from a bank where he
had gone to withdraw N3million for the church, fired shots into the air,
which sent people scampering for safety.
The last photo he shared on facebook |
Witnesses said Pastor Okpokpo tried to escape when it became obvious
that he was the target. He reportedly slowed down on reaching a bad spot
in the road, and that was when the hoodlums shot at the tyres of the
Chosen vehicle he was driving, which caused the car to stop.
One of the gunmen then got down from their motorbike, walked to the
vehicle and shot Pastor Okpokpo in the stomach. He was said to have
waited to ensure that Okpokpo was no longer breathing before he took the
nylon bag containing the money, went back to his two colleagues in the
motorbike and they all took off.
Residents were said to have rushed to the scene then raised
an alarm when they found out that the victim was wearing the Lord’s
Chosen jacket. Some of them were said to have alerted members of the
church, who rushed him to the church’s clinic at Ijesha.
When news of the tragedy filtered in, those who knew him wept
uncontrollably. It was learnt that a prayer session aimed at
resurrecting him took place between 12.30p.m. and 8p.m. Some of the
church members thought that the gunmen could have been hired assassins
and not robbers.
The Lagos State Police Command said it had begun investigation into the murder.
Okpokpo’s body has been taken to his home town in Abia.