The Church of the King of Kings on Taju
Bello Street, in the Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos, has been thrown into
confusion after a member, identified simply as Taofiq, committed suicide
at the back of the church building.
Taofiq, a mechanic, was said to have
attended a vigil in the church on Friday, but sneaked out while the
prayer was going on. He subsequently went to a valley at the back of the
church, where he hanged himself on a tree.
we learnt that his
body was met dangling while his prayer garment was found folded at the
scene of the incident around 5am on Saturday.
The police from the Iju division were
said to have gone to the area and took the corpse after the church’s
assistant pastor reported the case.
Our correspondent learnt that Taofiq,
who converted to Christianity sometime last year, started attending the
church –a parish of Cherubim and Seraphim– a few months ago.
The church members declined to comment on the incident when we visited the community on Tuesday.
The members prevented our correspondent from entering the church’s premises when he demanded to speak with their pastor.
One of them, a woman, who felt enraged
by the request, said, “We cannot say anything about what happened. We
are not his family members and he (the deceased) was not a church
member. Go and meet his people. I don’t want to hear anything; leave our
church now!”
Most residents approached by this correspondent also declined comments on the incident.
However, an elderly man, who did not to
give his name, said the deceased was a member of the church, adding that
he was awoken on the day by the commotion caused by the incident.
He said, “He (Taofiq) had attended a
vigil with members of the church on Friday to Saturday. It was around
5am that he was found dangling on a tree at the back of the church. I
don’t know why he killed himself. But he must have been psychologically
disturbed. I saw the garment he wore to the church at the place he
committed suicide.”
As the man narrated what he witnessed to our correspondent, a member of the church stormed his compound and told him to stop.
Another resident, who identified himself
as Kareem Ibrahim, said Taofiq’s behaviour became strange about a year
ago when he quit his mechanic work.
He said, “I just opened shop that day
when a friend came to tell me that someone had died at the back of the
church. On getting there, it turned out to be Taofik. He was living
around here before, but I don’t know where he relocated to. When he
converted to Christianity last year, he changed his name to Segun.
“He was a mechanic and was living a
normal life until last year when we observed that his behaviour was
changed. I learnt he was defrauded of money, but I don’t know the
amount. He was a bachelor.”
The spokesperson for the Lagos State
Police Command, SP Dolapo Badmos, said investigation was ongoing to
ascertain the cause of the incident.
She said, “The Assistant Pastor of the
King of Kings Church, Mr. Odunike Abiodun, reported to the police that
one Taofik committed suicide near the church, where he came for a vigil.
Detectives visited the scene of the crime and investigation is ongoing
to unravel the cause of the death. His corpse has been deposited in a
morgue for autopsy.”
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