RCCG Prayer Walk: Open Letter to Pastor Enoch Adeboye

Fola Esuola/

1. I have read about your prayer walk where you “prayed for the nation”, “called on State and Federal Governments” and “suggested that the security infrastructure in our nation be overhauled and improved drastically”; I am also looking at pictures of you, in front of what looks to me like a crowd of protesting people.

2. I had mixed feelings when I heard of the said prayer walk but when I learnt that the said protest/prayer walk was orchestrated by the RCCG National Headquarters, the very one from which my 4-year-old niece was kidnapped about 7 months ago, I could not help being displeased at the hypocrisy being blatantly displayed by you and your people.

3. Gentle reminder that on Sunday the 7th of July, 2019; AISHA ASHABI TAIWO, a girl of 4 years old was kidnapped without any trace, right inside your Church, the same RCCG National Headquarters. I am surprised to see that it is this same RCCG formation that has now taken to the streets led by you to express faux dissatisfaction at the security situation of the country.

4. At the the time of the kidnapping of ASHABI, not one finger was lifted by you or any of your people. As a matter of fact, it took a call to the then Police Commissioner for Lagos State to get officers from the Denton Police Division to accompany me to conduct a thorough search of your RCCG Headquarters premises due to the hostility and apathy of your Pastors in charge, who had only money and nothing more to offer.

In fact, the then Police Commissioner shortly after being contacted sent different pictures of young girls who were lost but found to my friend, Toheeb Adeyiola, on WhatsApp; such was the extent of the Commissioner’s empathy.

5. Meanwhile, the said kidnap did not irk you enough to warrant the dissatisfaction that you now purport to show in form of a protest/prayer walk; the incident did not even earn as much as a mention on the altar – by you or any of your Pastors. Instead, your Pastors told us that a place as big as the RCCG National Headquarters did not have a CCTV system since the holy spirit, according to them, was already on guard. Now, the IGP-IRT which I had approached, the Denton Police Station and even the firm of private investigators that I contracted then were all at a loss without the lead that would have been provided by a CCTV system.

6. I (as well as friends and family) was also at a loss on how to proceed, I had written you a letter of protest at the time; passionately requesting that you use your position to see to the return of this kidnapped child; I had protested the unconcerned manner of your Pastors, the mysterious silence of your PR channels at the news of a very shocking incident, and the absence of affirmative action on the part of your Church.

You responded as follows:

“9th August 2019
ref:ara/090819/5/reg

Abdulwasiu Esuola
xxxxxxxxxxx@gmail.com

Dear Sir,
RE: AISHA ASHABI TAIWO

Calvary greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour,

Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Thank you for your letter of 29th July, 2019.

We will investigate the matter and get back to you as soon as possible.

Please be assured of our continuous love and prayers.

Yours in Him

Pastor E. A. Adeboye
General Overseer.”

Unlike the tone of this letter above and the general apathy of your people at the shocking incident of ASHABI’s kidnap, I observe that all your PR channels have now come alive at the news of your prayer walk; RCCG TV, Dove TV, RCCG Radio, RCCG Media, RCCG PR on Twitter et cetera.

Need I mention that you never got back as promised in your letter and that your Church never even investigated the matter despite several protests from concerned Nigerians and several visits from the family?

I have since asked God to judge the sincerity of your concern/intervention in the matter as shown in the tone of your letter reproduced above.

7. But then, it is necessary to ask:

How is it convenient for you to call out the Government over insecurity when you as a leader do not even take simple security precautions in the place that is supposed to be your national headquarters? The insecurity that you are now protesting/praying away, how have you tried to fix it from your own end?
Where was this energy/empathy/voice when a 4-year-old child was kidnapped right inside your Church, and your only prayer on the pulpit in reaction to the incident was for God to punish those who wanted to tarnish the reputation of your Church?

Yours sincerely,
Abdulwasiu Esuola