- "We are questioning a number of people including leaders of the Christ Embassy Church and the people who let out the place for this particular event. The investigation will settle the matter as to who organised the event and who sanctioned it."
The police say they have picked up a number of leaders of the Christ Embassy Church and officials of the Fantasy Dome at the Trade Fair Centre at La in the capital, Accra.
This follows a video that has gone viral on social media in which members of the youth wing of the church at East Legon, the Airport City Church in Accra were seen dancing and shouting at a programme held last Friday night with total disregard for social distancing and minimal wearing of masks at the Dome which has a capacity of 15,000.
The viral video has got many criticising the church whose international leader is Pastor Chris Oyakhilome for such an event without the protocols in place in the midst of COVID-19.
The Director of Public Affairs at the Ghana Police Service, Sheilla Kessie Abayie-Buckman said anyone found culpable would not be spared.
“We are questioning a number of people including leaders of the Christ Embassy Church and the people who let out the place for this particular event. The investigation will settle the matter as to who organised the event and who sanctioned it,” Abayie-Buckman told Asaase News’s Beatrice Adu on Sunday.
Listen to excerpts of the interview here:
Investigation
In an earlier statement, the police served notice the Christ Embassy Church is being investigated over the event.
The police announcement follows outright condemnation of the church event on social media on Sunday as large members of the youth wing of the church were seen in trending videos without masks worshiping in the enclosed area.
“Trending videos of the alleged gathering, dubbed “Pneumatic Night” show a non-mask wearing mass crowd, screaming, chanting and dancing to the “evangelism” of non-mask wearing leaders; putting the entire country at risk of spreading COVID-19,” a statement from the police said.
It added: “The police have since Sunday morning locked up the Fantasy Dome and have started questioning leaders of the Church and management of the Fantasy Dome about the event. Any person found culpable will be arrested and duly prosecuted.”
Below is the full police statement:
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