Crisis rocks Lagos Celestial Church over N5m renovation donation

The Celestial Church of Christ, Acts of Apostle Parish in Ketu, Alapere, Lagos, has been plunged into turmoil following a N5m donation made by the church leadership. 

It was gathered that the crisis unfolded during a Sunday service last week when Muyiwa Oluponna, a self-proclaimed son of the church founder, disrupted the service in an attempt to install himself as the church shepherd.

Oluponna reportedly snatched the microphone from the acting shepherd, Adetayo Adetola, during the sermon, and declared that he had the right to deliver sermons every second Sunday of the month.

A viral video from the incident shows Oluponna and several church members engaged in a heated argument. In response to the disruption, the church authorities, led by task force head Akinbode Adjovi, ordered the church to be shut down for 40 days.

Adetola recounted the event, explaining that when the church’s shepherd was absent that day, he had been assigned to lead the service and deliver the sermon.

However, the situation escalated when Oluponna demanded the microphone and insisted that the N5m donation for renovation and construction of a clergy house be given to his family. He claimed that the money did not belong to the church, but to the Oluponna family, which he said owned the church. 

Adetola stated, “After taking the microphone, he insisted that the church, and its funds, belong to his family, not the community or the church leadership. He also demanded to become the church’s shepherd and be allowed to preach every second Sunday of the month. We remained silent as he spoke. Afterward, when I attempted to continue the sermon, he grabbed another microphone from one of the choristers and tried to take over the pulpit. At that point, we resisted him.”

The church’s shepherd, Emmanuel Iperepolu, claimed that Oluponna had been causing disturbances in the church even before the donation issue, issuing threats to him and other church members he felt were opposed to him. Iperepolu suggested that the donation had triggered Oluponna’s aggressive actions, with him now insisting the money be handed over to his family.

Iperepolu explained, “Before the donation, he had been coming to the church, threatening and insulting me and others. After hearing about the donation, he demanded the money, saying it belonged to his family, as they were the rightful owners of the church.”

Kayode Ajala, the church’s Head of Media and Publicity, clarified that the church was temporarily shut down to avoid further violence. He stated, “The church is a house of God, but when safety is at risk, we must act. We cannot stand by while lives are in danger. This is why we have temporarily closed the church while investigations are ongoing. All parties involved are being questioned, and once the issue is resolved, the church will reopen.”

When questioned by Saturday PUNCH, Oluponna refused to comment on whether the crisis was linked to the N5m donation, stating that the matter was between his family and the church.