The family of Zachariah Barnabas, a 23-year-old drummer from the Kingdom of Glory Church in Lagos, has pointed fingers at Pastor Olayinka Samuel, the church’s leader, over alleged interference with the investigation into Barnabas’s whereabouts.
According to Barnabas’ sister, Janet, who spoke with newsmen on the phone, he went missing on October 11, 2023, after attending a church programme.
Despite reporting the case to the police, the family claimed the pastor discouraged their involvement, citing various unrelated accusations against the missing drummer.
Janet explained, “He had been robbed of his phone earlier, so we could not reach him directly. He was supposed to return on the 10th. But he called my mom with someone’s phone who is also a worker in the church to inform her that he wouldn’t come home until the next day. That was the last time we heard from him.
“The case was reported to the police station in Igando. The officer claimed the pastor said the police shouldn’t come for an investigation until a particular day when his members would be around. When the family went to the church, the pastor started screaming that we were disturbing his service.”
Also, Barnabas’ brother, Israel, expressed frustration over the pastor’s allegations of cult involvement and inappropriate behavior.
He stated, “It’s been over two months now, and we have not seen Barnabas. We want the government to help us compel the pastor to tell us where Barnabas is because it was in his care that we last heard from him.”
In response, Pastor Samuel denied any wrongdoing, asserting that Barnabas attended a Bible study on October 10 and left the church premises afterward.
Quest Times further reports that Samuel claimed ignorance about the drummer’s subsequent activities and accused the family of attempting to tarnish his name and the church’s reputation.
The family has urged the government to intervene and compel Pastor Samuel to provide information about Barnabas’ disappearance.