The Celestial Church of Christ Worldwide has distanced itself from a cleric, Afolabi Hodonu, who was recently arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) alongside his wife over alleged possession of illicit drugs in Lagos State.
Hodonu and his wife were apprehended at the Gbaji checkpoint in Lagos, where authorities reportedly discovered 11 kilograms of skunk concealed in hidden compartments of their vehicle.
The suspect had claimed to be the shepherd in charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Agonvi Sea Beach, located in the Sakpo area of the Seme border, Badagry.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrest in a statement on Sunday, noting that it followed the earlier interception of a suspected fake security operative transporting 24.5 kilograms of skunk from the Seme border into Lagos.
According to him, the suspect, identified as Sunday Samuel, 35, was arrested at the same checkpoint on March 30 while conveying the illicit substance.
Babafemi added that the arrests were part of a series of anti-narcotics operations carried out nationwide by the agency within the past week.
Reacting to the development, the Head of Media and Publicity of the church, Kayode Ajala, stated that official records do not recognise Hodonu and his wife, Success Hodonu, as members of the Ketu mainstream of the church under the leadership of Emmanuel Mobiyina Oshoffa.
“The administrative records confirm that Afolabi Hodonu and his wife are not affiliated with the Ketu mainstream of the Celestial Church of Christ,” Ajala said.
He expressed concern over the association of the church’s name with the incident, describing the allegation as a “despicable act.”
Ajala further disclosed that the church would deploy a task force to the Seme area of Badagry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the case.
