A journalist, Amadi Precious, was reportedly beaten unconscious by members of Salvation Ministries after raising an alarm about a fire outbreak at Glorious Chapel, located at 17 Birabi Street, GRA, Port Harcourt.
Amadi recounted his ordeal on Facebook, stating that while returning from work, he noticed flames within the church premises.
Acting swiftly, he assisted in evacuating chairs and fetching water to contain the fire. He also repeatedly called the Rivers State Fire Service, but his distress calls went unanswered.
Despite his efforts, some church members allegedly turned on him, accusing him of being a spy and falsely claiming he had been sent to attack the church’s leader, Pastor David Ibiyeomie.
The situation escalated as they reportedly beat him mercilessly, damaged his two phones, and inflicted multiple injuries.
In an attempt to seek help, Amadi posted an SOS message on Facebook, which further enraged the church members. He alleged that under the supervision of some junior pastors, he was subjected to further assault, accused of causing the fire, and locked in a room for several hours.
He was eventually released around 1 AM the next day, but not before church members allegedly deleted his social media posts and wiped data from his phone to erase evidence.
Amadi said despite clear signs of a fire, they continued to deny that an incident had occurred.
He said, “Good morning, everyone. I am here to share my ordeal at the hands of overzealous members of Salvation Ministries, Glorious Chapel, located at 17 Birabi Street, GRA, Port Harcourt.
“While returning from work, I noticed a fire outbreak at the church premises. Agitated by the situation, I rushed in to assist members of Salvation Ministries by helping to evacuate chairs and fetch water in an attempt to contain the fire. I also repeatedly called the Rivers State Fire Service, but there was no response. Despite my efforts to contact emergency services, my calls went unanswered.
“As I was actively helping, some overzealous members of the church turned on me. My only ‘crime’ was raising an alarm and calling for help to ensure the fire was extinguished.”
“To my shock, they began beating me mercilessly, damaging my two phones, and inflicting multiple injuries on me. Their justification? They accused me of being a spy and alleged that I was sent to attack Pastor David Ibiyeomie,” he explained.
