Two Ghana Churches Attacked by Armed Robbers

Two armed robbers attacked church members attending an all-night service at the Adoato-Adumanu Seventh-day Adventist Church in Kumasi, Ghana, in the early hours of Dec. 24. According to a Graphic Online report, shared on the Ghana SDA Facebook page, “[suspects] managed to rob them at gunpoint and made away with the victims’ possessions, mostly cash, mobile phones, tablets, and laptops.” A week before, the Ahinsan Seventh-day Adventist Church in Kumasi had suffered a similar attack.

The online media outlet reported that the all-night service from Dec. 23 to Dec. 24 was coordinated by three pastors and had an attendance of over 100. Then, at about 3:00 am, two armed young men entered the church premises and after injuring a few people made away with the members’ personal belongings. It is being reported that among the injured is a physician who is an elder of the local congregation.

Church leaders filed a formal complaint at the local police station. At the same time, media outlets in Ghana shared an official statement issued by the Mid-Central Ghana Conference church region.

“It is with much sympathy that the Mid-Central Ghana Conference (MICG) of the Northern Ghana Union Mission (NOGH) of Seventh-day Adventists wishes to sooth the sorrows and heal the wounds of all victims of robbery attack that has transpired at the Adoato-Adumanu SDA Church in Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region…,” read the beginning of the church statement posted on Ghanese media. “MICG has learned that a similar attack was meted out on Ahinsan Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Ghana Conference (SCGC) of Seventh-day Adventists on Friday, December 15, 2017, and robbery attacks on churches are fast gaining notoriety.”

The church statement provided by the MICG Office of Communication, Religious Liberty, and Public Affairs director Alexander Marfoh, went on to express its deepest sympathy with the church community, encouraging victims to keep hoping and trusting the Lord.

“Scripture says in all things — good or bad, sweet or bitter, positive or negative — we need to give thanks to the Lord,” it read.

While the church reminded its members and the community of the words recorded in the Bible that read, “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord,” leaders called on the police “to launch thorough investigations into the attack,” and if possible, to ensure that “perpetrators be made to face the full rigors of the law.”

Church leaders also advised Adventist, along with other Christian local churches to take precautions for the planned activities on New Year’s Eve. “Be wary of robbery attacks,” they said.