2nd February, 2020
Burglars have broken into the office of Rev. Father Andrew Ihonda-Ovienloba of St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, Aruogba in Oredo LGA of Edo State and stole a huge amount of money belonging to the church.
Ihonda-Ovienloba made the disclosure during Sunday mass in the church.
The parish priest said he woke up on Sunday morning to discover the burglary.
He added that the church rats or burglars did a ‘very neat job’, indicating that they might probably be people who were familiar with the environment.
“Forty days after the birth of Jesus was celebrated all over the world, robbers broke into my office and stole the money belonging to the church.
“The money they stole was the money the poor people, who have one problem or another, used to sow seeds and offer petitions (prayers) to God.
“Automatically, the robbers have succeeded in carrying the problems and challenges of those who offered the money to God for prayers.
“You cannot rob a house of God or a man of God and go scot free. When you rob a house of God, you carry all the sufferings and pains of the congregation,” Ihonda-Ovienloba said.
During the prayers of the faithful, the priest, however, prayed for the burglars to repent.