Pastor Paul Alfa Negedu of Evangel Church Winning All (ECWA) Angwan Yashi Tudun Wada in Jos, Plateau State narrates how 2,300 members of the church escaped death by a whisker on July 12, 2015 when Boko Haram insurgents tried to bomb the worship centre, MUSA PAM reports
You were around on Sunday when two explosives were discovered in your church. Can you tell us what transpired that Sunday?
The English service was on when a security volunteer told me he wanted to use the toilet. So, I permitted him to go ahead. After he entered the toilet, he sent for me, that there was something strange in the place. When I arrived, I asked what it was and he told me that it was something like an explosive and he was looking for paper. I later left him there.
When he came out of the toilet, I asked him to explain further to me what it was. He shared with me what it was and I told him it would be deadly to leave it in there. I said if it exploded, it would take so many lives. I asked if he was courageous enough to carry the plastic bag containing the explosive and throw it over the fence into an empty space.
He was shivering but i encouraged him to calm down and prayed with him, after which he summoned courage to go and throw the plastic bag over the fence as I earlier said. It exploded in the air. We immediately contacted the security agents. You know in Plateau, they were on ground that very day. The anti-bomb squad arrived on the scene and was able to defuse the second one that was planted at the entrance (the gate around the check-point).
Do you think someone may have dropped it there?
From our investigation, we felt the person did not really pass through the gate. We felt probably, the person jumped over the fence during the early rain or in the night, entered the toilet and hid it there intentionally. That’s what we are suspecting.
During the service on Sunday morning, he may have come into the church as a guest. Then, after sometime, he would have pretended to want to go and use the toilet and brought them to harm people in the church. That was what we suspected. Although we are not certain about the person’s intention, but we give glory to God for averting a disaster.
How many worshippers did you have in the church that day?
The English service has a total of between 1400 and 1600 adults though it fluctuates. The junior church ranges from 660 to 700 children. The second service (Hausa service) has about 1000 or more adults and about 50-70 children. Altogether, the English service should have a total of about 2300 worshippers (both adults and children), and the Hausa service, a total of about 1600 (both adults and children).
How were you able to control the worshippers that Sunday after the incident?
The worshippers were so calm and courageous when we informed them about the situation. We told them not to panic because God is in control of our lives and that trying to run away would not save any soul. We may rather have run into a worse disaster that could destroy our lives. We were able to calm them down and continued the English service. It went on smoothly after which the Hausa service took place. There was no obstruction to the services that day. I
know Christians would be afraid as a result of this incident. What is your advice to Christians especially concerning Sundays?
Christians should always be ready because our lives are in God’s hands. If God designs that this is the day you are going, you are going. It may not necessarily be through an explosive. It can come to you right on your bed; and when it comes, there is no bargain. You will go. So we should have the boldness to continue to serve the Lord, no matter what. We know fully well that our protector is God. That’s why God was able to save the members of this church from being killed in that explosion
So, the people should not panic. They should not be afraid to come and worship. Rather, this should give us more courage to come and worship the God that saves and protects.
That day when i stood up to preach, I said we thank God we are in the presence of God and God will always be with us. However, one thing is this, we have Christ in us. I always say to my congregation that if it happens today, fine! Glory to God. Either dead or alive, we win if we are Christians. Apostle Paul says, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. ”
So I encourage members and other Christians. If our Reverend were here, he would have said the same thing; that we should draw closer to God every moment of our lives.
We should live every moment of our lives trusting in God, that anything can happen. We live as if we live forever and also we live as if God will call us home the next moment. That should not prevent us from doing what He (God) wants us to do while we are alive.
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