A 64-year-old cleric of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Venerable Superior Evangelist Onaduja Oluwafemi Gbeminiyi, has been beaten to death by unidentified hoodlums who invaded the church premises in the Waru District of Abuja.
The incident unfolded on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, during the parish’s weekly Wednesday Mercy Service, which had convened around 9:00 AM at the Castle of Mercy Parish.
According to reports from Celestial Reality Check (CRC-MEDIA), the assailants bypassed the main congregation and targeted the residential quarters of the Shepherd-in-Charge situated within the church compound. They forcibly breached the apartment and dragged the cleric outside into the open court.
The victim, a retired military officer, put up a fierce resistance, sparking a physical struggle that lasted for several minutes before the gang eventually overpowered him and inflicted critical injuries. Despite desperate cries for help that echoed across the grounds, no immediate assistance arrived, and the attackers fled the scene before bystanders could intervene.
Neighbours and congregants rushed the incapacitated cleric to a nearby hospital, where medical personnel pronounced him dead hours later due to the severity of his injuries.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has launched a full-scale homicide investigation to uncover the motive behind the assault and track down the culprits. As part of the preliminary inquiry, detectives have invited and detained the parish’s assistant shepherd for questioning.
Following funeral rites and a service of songs held on the church premises, the late cleric’s remains were interred at the Gudu Cemetery in Abuja.
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