Nigerian Pastor, Wife Flee Over Their Arrest By DSS
Nigerian Pastor, Wife Flee Over Their Arrest By DSS
He said the secret police also took their personal information without informing them of the reason for their arrest.
Tomi Arayomi, the pastor of RIG Nation and Pioneer Church, United Kingdom, has narrated how Nigeria’s secret police, Department of State Services detained him, his wife, and his aide.
He said the secret police also took their personal information without informing them of the reason for their arrest.
Tomi and his wife were arrested by the DSS for allegedly being on their watchlist for a public speech the cleric delivered.
They were arrested after disembarking from their 9 am Ibom Air flight from Lagos to the Federal Capital Territory on Friday.
Arayomi’s twin brother, Tobi Arayomi, hinted on the development via his Instagram page, @tobiarayomi, on Friday.
According to Tobi, his brother was apprehended by DSS operatives over politics-related prophecies he made.
Meanwhile, Tobi, posting their photos, later on Friday revealed that his brother and wife had been released.
“@tomiarayomi and @tahmar.india are out. Thank you all for your prayers,” Tobi posted on Instagram.
In a lengthy statement released via his verified Twitter handle on Sunday, Arayomi narrated their ordeal.
He stated that they were arrested by six DSS officers who forced them to surrender all their gadgets and drove them to the agency’s headquarters.
The statement reads in part: “Tomiarayomi Prophetess Tahmar and I would like to express our gratitude for all your prayers and international support during Fridays ordeal with The DSS.
“We can confirm that on Good Friday 7th April we arrived at Abuja to visit one of our branches when we were picked up by about 6 armed agents who did not identify themselves as DSS or any law enforcement agency.
“My wife, myself and my aide Emmanuel Ezerika were forced to surrender our mobile phones and enter the vehicles where we were taken at considerable speed to what we later learned were DSS HQ. The officers, some of who wore balaclavas were not immediately recognisable as DSS.”
He also stated that DSS locked them without providing them with any information about the reason for their arrest after obtaining some of their personal information.
He continued: “Our pictures were taken, finger prints and data collected and we were locked inside a room with no real knowledge as to the grounds for our arrest. After a lengthy interrogation, it appears media and social media pressure forced DSS to release my wife and I.
“My aide still remains under DSS custody and thus far, DSS have been elusive as to his exact whereabouts. We will not divulge the particulars of the investigation at this point as we are still awaiting the safe release of my aide.
“Out of concern for my young children and my wife’s well being, we made the unfortunate decision to leave Nigeria abruptly. This decision did not come lightly but with considerable prayer and counsel from our board, trustees, colleagues in the ministry and respective families.
“I can confirm that we are safe and will continue to work and pray for a new Nigeria. We remain resolute that we will return to the Nation that we have grown to call our home but for now we will continue to press, pray and give God no rest until Nigeria becomes a praise in the earth. We did not come to Nigeria under any illusion of comfort. We came to serve the Lord, fully aware of the danger.”
“We want you to know that Tahmar and I remain strong and unwavering in our commitment to Nigeria and the many great leaders we have encountered during our time there. We want to thank every leader and friend who reached out, called, texted, posted. We are so grateful. This is not goodbye. This is see you soon! In a new and better Nigeria,” he added.
