A gang of armed robbers were said to have invaded Emmanuel Baptist Church Cathedral, Sabo Oke in Ilorin, Kwara State in the early hours of Monday.
A church source said that the men of the underworld were suspected to be looking for the proceeds of an earlier fund raising event by the church.
It was learnt that the robbers, six in number scaled the fence of the church from the back and overpowered the five private security personnel on duty.
They were said to have commandeered one of the security men to lead them to the Church strong room where they made use of axe, diggers and sledge hammers to break the safe but however could not find any money in it.
Apparently disappointed, the robbers were reported to have demanded to be taken to the vicarage which they forced open and ordered the vicar (names witheld) to produce the church money or be shot dead.
The source explained that it took a plea and explanation from one of the security guards to save the life of the pastor.
The guard was quoted to have told the deadly hoodlums that as a Baptist pastor, he did not have anything to with the church money other than being paid his due salary only adding that the pastor is only senior to the guards who are also paid salaries and nothing more.
The robbers, who reportedly operated from 2am to 5am, out of anger that they could not get to their target, dispossessed the entire residents living in the expansive premises of their laptops, trinkets and liquid cash before leaving.
