The presiding Pastor of House on the Rock, Abuja, Pastor Uche Aigbe has apologised to Nigerians and members of his church for mounting the pulpit with an AK47 rifle.
In a video posted on the church’s social media page on Tuesday, Aigbe said he was disappointed in himself for using the firearm to illustrate a passage in the scripture.
He admitted that his action caused a lot of embarrassment and pain to the church and his family.
He said: “This morning I stand before you with a deep sense of sobriety and contrition as I humbly address the event of last Sunday at the second service which most of us were part of, where I used an unloaded firearm to illustrate some texts from the Bible regarding the good fight of faith.
“Of course, as you all know, it has caused a lot of embarrassment and pain to the entire church family, to you House on the Rock (The Refuge), to my immediate family, and, of course, to myself. The decision that I made to use that firearm was not thoughtful. It has left me disappointed in myself. My action has been very traumatic for me, my family and, I am sure, for many of us. And I trust that we will never ever experience such again”.
While thanking the leadership and members of the church for their support ‘during the traumatic period’, he announced his withdrawal from his pastoral assignments.
He said: “I want to thank you all for your prayers, love, empathy, goodwill messages, and emotional support during this traumatic period. As Christians, time is of such trial that I have presently experienced, learning opportunities to grow in grace. I appreciate the love of our heavenly Father who never leave us nor forsake us. He has promised us that no matter what happens, he will always be with us.
“To this end, I have consulted as necessary and with acceptable guidance from the senior leadership of the Church. And I would like to humbly ask for your permission to take some time to pray, meditate, reflect and also to heal from all of the things that happened and its consequence. Notwithstanding, I will always be in church on Sundays and Wednesdays to worship with you.
“Let me say that I bear no grudge against anybody in my heart. If I have offended you, please forgive me. God is God and He will always remain our Father.
“So let’s remain resolute in our faith and trust in God. Let’s continue to labour in the house and not allow the enemies to deter us in any way. I also believe God for a peaceful election on Saturday and the weeks after that”.
Aigbe also seized the opportunity to pray for a peaceful election and violence-free election.
