Olushola Omogbehin
The Lagos State Police Command has cleared the Senior Pastor of House on the Rock Church, Paul Adefarasin, of any wrongdoing over a viral video where he was seen holding a gun-like object during a church service.
According to the spokesperson of Lagos State Police command, Abimbola Adebisi on Wednesday, Pastor Adefarasin voluntarily reported at its headquarters in Ikeja for interrogation after the video circulated widely on social media generating the debates about the appropriateness of a cleric holding a weapon in the pulpit.
The police spokesperson confirmed that the object was not a real gun, but a stun gun, which is not a deadly weapon. She added that there are no enough reason to continue with the matter and that the case is hereby discontinued.
“Following the incident, wherein Pastor Paul Adefarasin turned himself in at the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja, in connection with a viral video showing him holding a gun-like object, the Lagos State Police Command wishes to provide a further update on the matter.
“After a thorough investigation, including interrogation and a cautionary statement from Pastor Adefarasin, it was established that the object in question was a stun gun and not a lethal weapon or firearm.
“Consequent to our findings, the Lagos State Police Command has determined that there are no sufficient grounds to proceed with the matter. The case is hereby discontinued.”
The story, which has been trending online for some months now showed Pastor Adefarasin briefly displaying the device during a church sermon thereby bringing about criticism and concerns over gun control and safety in religious spaces.
The police has however said that while stun guns are not illegal for personal protection, their display in the public may raise needles alarm but no law was broken in this case.
