From Avishima Toom, Makurdi
Benue State secretariat of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) was yesterday invaded by men suspected to be armed robbers, carting away some valuable documents.
The men according to one of the secretariat staff, arrived the premises located at Mission House International, beside Benue Links Transport Company head office Wurukum, Makurdi along Makurdi-Gboko road at about 1am and broke almost all the doors.
Correspondent who visited the secretariat gathered that on arrival, the men used guns, heavy stones and other dangerous weapons to hit on the doors which resulted to the breakage of the doors, nets, glasses, floor tiles as well as smashing of other accessories thus, forcing their way into the buildings.
Conducting correspondent round the secretariat on an on-the-spot assessment of some of the affected facilities, the secretariat staff said the incident was the second in a series after similar attack on the secretariat sometime late last year was foiled by security men attach to the secretariat.
He told correspondent that it was not clear what was the mission of the attackers since apart from some files from the former chairman’s office Rev. Dr. Tor Uja, no other item was removed from any of the offices broken into.
However, a pastor with one of the churches in Makurdi told National Daily in confidence but pleaded anonymity that the attack may have been sponsored by a factional chairman of PFN Bishop Mike Angou of Kingdomite Church International.
Bishop Angou, it has been alleged, has been having running battles with Bishop Benjamin Kurudu whom correspondent gathered, is the duly elected Benue state PFN chairman over who controls the affairs of the body.
Meanwhile, a group under the aegis of Tiv Ministers World Wide has condemned in strong terms the purported attack on the Benue state PFN secretariat.
The body which rose from a summit last Wednesday in Makurdi, rejected Bishop Mike Angou’s exco as according to the religious group, Angou is not the bona fide chairman of PFN.
The body also resolved that in order to reconcile the two factions, an expanded state meeting of PFN would be convened with an invitation to Bishop Angou led faction as well as the state governor Samuel Ortom in attendance to address the body.
The Tiv Ministers World Wide equally resolved that the outcome of the proposed meeting would be communicated to the national secretariat, informing it of the current state of affairs in Benue PFN.
The forum said it would be left with no option but to pull out of PFN if need be.