[dropcap]A[/dropcap] couple of days ago, Mrs. Eunice Elisha Olawale, the wife of a pastor of a branch of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, in the outskirts of Central Abuja, was murdered by assailants while preaching around Gbazango-West area of Kubwa, in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital.
Kubwa is about thirty minutes by driving from the Central Abuja Area and is a fast developing area, which has Nigerians of various ethnic nationalities living there.
That Mrs. Eunice Elisha Olawale was murdered by suspected Muslim fundamentalists because she was known in that area as a Christian preacher who does her preaching with a loud megaphone by 5am every morning, is despicable and condemnable.
There is a right of religious expression in this country and the FCT should even be the best example of religious freedom because of its strategic relevance as a federal capital city, now inhabited by over 65% of people from the southern part of Nigeria.
It was a shock to hear of Mrs. Eunice Elisha’s murder by maladjusted creatures of religious intolerance and if her murderers are not brought to justice, this incident would certainly encourage other idiots of such proclivities to murder any preacher across the country.
This kind of boldness, this dastardly impunity, is becoming an affront on the sensibilities of Christians in Nigeria. I personally add my voice to the condemnation of the murder of the late Mrs Eunice and call on the authorities to ensure that those who killed her face the death penalty after trial.
I have read bit portions of the Holy Koran and in most verses, one did see that the Holy Prophet Mohammed enjoined his followers to allow Christians practice their religion in peace.
There is a segment of opinions by a few commentators that since the murdered woman was a Redeemed Christian Church Of God’s pastor’s wife, Nigeria’s vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, also a senior pastor of RCCG should ensure that this case is prosecuted to a favorable conclusion of justice. I think that while the sanctity of every life in Nigeria is a priority for the government, it’s asking for too much to expect the vice president to be a crusader of justice because of his church member. That’s not how it works.
Coming to the mode of proselytising in Nigeria, I also think that Christian preachers who usually go around preaching with megaphones should be more circumspect about the mode of evangelism.
I will expound on that in future posts.
My condolences to the family of the late Mrs. Eunice Elisha Olawale.
Charles Novia is an award-winning filmmaker. He is founder of November Productions and November Records. Connect with him on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
