A Deaconess at the Divine Touch Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Eunice Elisha was stabbed to death early Saturday morning while she went out on evangelism.
Eunice had gone out to preach along Gbazango-West area of Kubwa, Abuja when she was killed by unknown assailants suspected to be extremists.
The 42-year-old mother of seven was reported to have been stabbed in the stomach, leg and neck.
She was found dead in the pool of her own blood at the scene with her bible, her megaphone and mobile phone close to her corpse.
Her husband Olawale Elisha, a pastor lamented the killing, saying it wasn’t the first time she would go out to preach early in the morning.
Olawale said: “My wife always went out early in the morning for ‘Morning Cry’ (evangelism). There was a particular day she went out and she told me that there was a mosque at the back where they commented about what she said. So I just cautioned her.
“On Saturday, she went out. Two of my boys are footballers, thus, they went to the football pitch to play. And when they came back, they told me that they heard some footballers saying that some hoodlums had butchered a woman who was preaching early this morning.
“When I heard this, wearing only a pair of shorts, we walked towards the area my son had said the incident occurred; we didn’t see anybody but we saw blood on the ground. I asked a policeman around and he said it was true but that they had taken the body to Phase 4 Police Station.
“I went to the police station with my children and when we got there, I saw the lifeless body of my wife at the back of a police van. She was later taken to a mortuary.
“My wife was so committed to anything that is of God. She was a reckless giver to God’s work. She rarely missed any programme in the church.
“We have seven children. I see her as a martyr and she died for Christ and whether the people are caught or not, they should forgive them. My prayer is that if they can accept Christ, that will be a gain to Christ.”
On Sunday, the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) Police Command said it has arrested some suspects in connection with the murder of the preacher.
The spokesperson of FCT Police Command, ASP Anjuguri Manzah said the Commissioner of Police, Mr Alkali Usman has directed the homicide section to take over the investigation.
“We have made some arrests and they are helping in our investigation. “The commissioner of police has ordered the homicide section of the command to take over the investigation of the case,” he said.
However, Manza did not mention the number of suspects arrested. He said that personnel of the command had visited the scene of the incident and investigation had commenced in earnest.
The Wife of Nigeria’s vice president, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo visited the family of the deceased preacher on Sunday.
Mrs Osinbajo, an RCCG pastor herself, was received by the deceased’s husband, children and a host of church members and loved ones.
Osinbajo who arrived at the family’s residence around 1.30pm wrote: “May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace,” in the condolence register.
