The walls of the Power in the Word of God for the World Ministry on Etim Inyang Street, Oron, were silent on Thursday. But the silence carried a weight too heavy to bear.
On Thursday, 23 July, the pastor of the church was found dead on the church premises.
What should have been a place of prayer, hope, and refuge became the scene of a heartbreak that has left an entire community stunned and grieving.
Videos now circulating online show a somber scene no one wanted to see.
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Members of the congregation, faces buried in sorrow, carefully carrying the body of their shepherd out of the sanctuary.
In another clip, the pastor’s body, wrapped in white cloth, was later moved into a police pickup truck belonging to the Oron Area Command.
For many in Oron, it is difficult to process. This was not just a pastor. He was a father, a counselor, a voice that spoke peace into troubled homes. To see him taken out of the very altar where he preached love and faith has left deep wounds.
—“We Can’t Believe It”—
Whispers have filled the streets of Oron since news broke. Some residents suspect he took his own life. Others are praying it isn’t true, holding on to the hope that there is another explanation.
As of the time of filing this report, the exact circumstances surrounding his death remained unclear.
A report by Premium Times could not independently verify the claims of suicide circulating on social media.
The Akwa Ibom State Police Public Relations Officer, Timfon John, had not responded to calls or messages seeking an official comment.
–#A Community In Mourning—
Inside the church and across Oron LGA, grief is palpable. Members who once gathered to hear sermons are now gathered to mourn.
Phones have not stopped ringing. Prayers are being said, but so are questions — questions that, for now, have no answers.
The loss cuts especially deep because men and women of faith are often seen as pillars. When that pillar falls, it shakes everyone around it.
