Leadership Crisis Rocks Celestial Church of Christ, Ketu Parish, Over N5 Million Donation

The Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Acts of Apostle Parish in Ketu, Alapere, Lagos State, has been embroiled in a leadership crisis following a controversial N5 million donation intended for church renovations and the construction of a clergy house.

Tensions reached a boiling point during last Sunday’s service when Muyiwa Oluponna, who claims to be the son of the church’s founder, disrupted the congregation in a bid to assert himself as the rightful parish shepherd.

Eyewitnesses reported that Oluponna seized the microphone from acting shepherd Adetayo Adetola during his sermon, asserting his exclusive right to deliver sermons on the second Sunday of every month. He went further to declare himself the legitimate leader of the church.

A video of the incident, which quickly went viral on social media, captured heated arguments between Oluponna and some church members, causing the service to descend into chaos.

Parish Temporarily Shut Down

The CCC parish has been temporarily closed for 40 days to maintain peace and order. The closure was enforced by the church's task force, led by Akinbode Adjovi.

Speaking about the incident, Adetola alleged that Oluponna disrupted the service and claimed ownership of the donation.

“That Sunday, our shepherd was not around, and I was in charge of the service. Everything was going smoothly until Oluponna snatched the microphone from me, demanding to speak,” Adetola said.

He added that Oluponna declared the N5 million belonged to his family and insisted that the church itself was family property. Oluponna also demanded to be made the parish shepherd and sought the authority to preach every second Sunday of the month.

“When I resumed the sermon, he disrupted the service again, snatching another microphone and attempting to preach. At that point, we resisted him,” Adetola said.

Allegations of Threats and Intimidation

The parish shepherd, Emmanuel Iperepolu, accused Oluponna of repeated threats and confrontational behavior even before the donation issue.

“Even before the issue of the donation, Oluponna had been coming to the church to threaten and abuse me and others. After learning about the N5 million, he demanded the money for his family, insisting the church belongs to them,” Iperepolu said.

He noted that the matter had been reported to CCC authorities and the police for resolution.

Official Response from CCC Authorities

Kayode Ajala, Head of Media and Publicity for the CCC, confirmed the temporary closure of the parish, emphasizing the need to maintain order and protect lives.

“The church is a house of God, but when things escalate and lives are at risk, intervention becomes necessary. We shut down the church to prevent violence while investigations and conflict resolution are ongoing,” Ajala said.

When approached for comments, Oluponna declined to confirm whether the donation was the root cause of the crisis, stating that the matter was between his family and the church.

The incident has sparked widespread reactions, with many calling for an amicable resolution to the conflict to restore peace to the parish.