In Warri, Delta State, three pastors were detained for conducting Easter services in defiance of a state directive. As the pastors conducted Easter services, the Warri police area command, under the leadership of Assistant Commissioner of Police Mohammed Garba, pounced on them and made the arrests. As part of measures to curb the state’s coronavirus epidemic, Delta police command and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa issued a directive on Saturday instructing religious organizations to advise their members to stay at home and refrain from holding Easter services. Three coronavirus cases and one verified death have been reported by Delta thus far.
The three pastors who were arrested were identified as Rev. David Nnamani, the vicar of the All Saints Church on Airport Road; Rev. Dan Obong, the general overseer of Christ for the World Mission; and an unnamed reverend father of the Anglican Church in Warri. Additionally, 20 other people were arrested for violating the stay-at-home order in the local councils of Warri and nearby Uvwie. They are currently being held at the Area Command and A Division police stations until they are charged in court. According to the police, two of the pastors who were arrested said that they were having a quiet get-together with their neighbors rather than a regular service.
