Gunmen have tragically taken the lives of the founder of the Mount of Solution Redeemed Church (MSRC), Apostle Elisha Asuquo, and the pastor in charge of the church, Aniekan Ibanga, in Ikot Ekang, a community in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state.
The clerics were fatally shot by unidentified gunmen who invaded the National Headquarters of the Church around 7:30 pm over the weekend, interrupting an ongoing Parish meeting.
According to a resident who spoke with Leadership, the assailants arrived at the church premises on a motorcycle and fled through Abak-Ikot Ekpene Federal Highway after the heinous act.
Apostle Asuquo, a native of Adiasim in Essien Udim Local Government Area, was reportedly mediating a contentious marital reconciliation matter between a woman and her estranged husband just before the tragic incident. Meanwhile, Pastor Aniekan Ibanga hailed from Ikot Obioikpa village, Afaha Obong Clan, in Abak LGA.
The killing of the two clerics has sent shockwaves through the community, with Bishop John Jeremiah Kpongkpong, a community leader in Ikot Ekang, expressing profound dismay over the unprecedented violence. “It was around 8 p.m. when somebody called and informed me that Prophet Elisha and his Pastor had been shot dead,” he recounted, adding that he promptly relayed the tragic news to the Village Head upon receiving the distressing information.
Chief Christopher Udotim, leading a delegation from Ikot Obio Ikpa Village, where Pastor Aniekan hailed from, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of their son and sought to understand if any previous issues with the Church could have precipitated the killings.
