The Senior Pastor of House on the Rock Church, Lagos, Paul Adefarasin, kept to his promise yesterday to address the viral video showing him holding what some claimed was a firearm.
The short clip, shared widely on social media, appeared to show the pastor speaking to someone recording him while holding an object that resembled a gun.
Pastor Adefarasin addressed the situation through his social media platforms on Saturday, promising to elaborate more during his sermon at his cathedral on Sunday.
At Sunday’s 9:00 a.m. service, the pastor insisted that the object in the video was not a gun and denied pointing anything at anyone.
“You might be aware of a video circulating on social media showing me in what some have misunderstood as brandishing a firearm. I want to assure you — that was certainly not a firearm, and at no point did I point such at anyone,” he said.
He added that the misunderstanding had created concern among many Nigerians and promised to talk more about it briefly during the church service on Sunday.
Pastor Responds During Church Service
Adefarasin appeared to further suggest that he might have been an unintended victim of quick money schemes of “content creators.”
“This is not merely an attack on a local church or a pastor, it is an organised strategy of the one that we are in war with,” Adefarasin said during his address.
Video: I was hurt, received lots of calls over false viral firearm claim — Pastor Adefarasin pic.twitter.com/EpzDb2qlI1
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He went on to describe it as a case of “clickbait”, meant to generate revenue through viral controversy. According to him, the video was posted to stir public reaction and boost online engagement, not to expose wrongdoing.
“What we had to witness was clickbait, just looking for more money. I probably wasn’t even their target,” he added.
Denial of Firearm Ownership
Pastor Adefarasin firmly denied owning or carrying any firearm. He admitted he has never been issued a license for a pistol or any weapon.
“I do not have a pistol license for a firearm, I do not carry a firearm, and I pointed no firearm at anybody,” he told the congregation.
However, while repeating that the object he held was not a gun, he came short of specifying whether he had any object in his hands and what it was. This has left room for continued speculation on social media.
The cleric said the person recording him came too close standing less than a meter away, suggesting he considered his personal space was breached.
Spiritual Framing of the Incident
In his response, Adefarasin framed the event as part of a spiritual battle. He quoted biblical references and said that believers were facing attacks not just from people, but from dark spiritual forces.
“We do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against spiritual powers and principalities… and an array of about 13 kinds of demonic host,” he said.
He concluded that the entire situation was motivated by the “love of money”, which he described as the root of evil.
Then he declared that “case closed” over the matter, and the church had a policy of not dignifying “hate speech”.
His congregation applauded at his statements, but it is yet to be seen if his explanations convinced his followers of his innocence of any wrongdoing or breach of the law.
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