By Editor Drealomalicha Emmanuella
The Celestial Church of Christ Worldwide has distanced itself from Afolabi Hodonu, a man arrested alongside his wife by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over alleged possession of illicit drugs.
Hodonu and his wife were apprehended on Thursday at the Gbaji checkpoint in Lagos, where NDLEA officials reportedly discovered 11 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in hidden compartments within their vehicle.
Following his arrest, Hodonu identified himself as the Shepherd in charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Agonvi Sea Beach, located in the Sakpo area along the Seme border in Badagry.
However, in a swift response on Sunday, the church leadership refuted any affiliation with the suspect. In a statement issued by its Head of Media and Publicity, Kayode Ajala, the church clarified that neither Hodonu nor his wife, Success, are recognised members of its Ketu mainstream under the leadership of Reverend Emmanuel Mobiyina Oshoffa.
“Our administrative records confirm that Afolabi Hodonu and his wife are not part of the Ketu mainstream of the Celestial Church of Christ,” the statement read.
The NDLEA, through its spokesman Femi Babafemi, disclosed that the couple’s arrest was linked to an earlier operation at the same checkpoint. On Monday, 30 March, operatives had intercepted a 35-year-old man, Sunday Samuel, described as a fake security agent, who was transporting 24.5 kilogrammes of skunk from the Seme border towards Lagos.
According to the agency, intelligence gathered from that seizure led to the eventual arrest of Hodonu and his wife.
Babafemi noted that the operation formed part of a broader nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking carried out by the agency over the past week.
Reacting to the development, the church expressed concern over what it described as the misuse of its name in connection with the allegations, condemning the incident as both troubling and damaging to its reputation.
Ajala further revealed that the church would deploy a task force to the Seme area of Badagry to conduct an independent fact-finding mission into the circumstances surrounding the case.
“Given that the name of the Celestial Church of Christ has been dragged into this matter, we consider it necessary to investigate the situation thoroughly,” he said.
The case has since drawn public attention, raising questions about identity claims and the reputational risks faced by religious institutions when individuals allegedly act under false pretences.
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