By SAM EYOBOKA & OLAYINKA LATONA

SIXTEEN years after the brutal assassination of the founder of Victory Christian Church at his home, the church has fingered the government of the day for the violent crime apparent-ly for his outspokenness.

On February 4, 1995, the founder of the Lagos-based church, Bishop Anayo Iloputaife was killed by yet to be determ-ined armed assassins. The bishop and his wife, Apostle Nkechi Anayo-Iloputaife had just return-ed home from greeting relatives at the airport when the armed men burst into their home and attacked everyone inside, ordering them to the floor.

They later shot the bish-op in the head and his wife in her right arm and left thinking that they were both dead. The Anambra-born bishop died five days after in the hospital. He was 36.

Addressing newsmen in her office in preparation for the anniversary, the widow said: “I still believe that some day it will be written in black and white, what exactly happened to Bishop Harford Anayo Iloputaife of Victory Christian Church, but I believe the government of the day had a hand in what happened to him, because if you know him, he was very outspoken about the ills of the society.”

Enumerating plans for the 16th anniversary of Bishop Iloputaife’s death, who was born in February and died in February, the apostle spoke passionately about the commitment of the late husband to help to transform the nation from its prostrate state to a nation which can use its numerous human and material resources to uplift the living standards of its citizens.

“When he was killed, I knew that he had no enemies so we didn’t suspect anybody because he was a person who could not hurt a fly. But I knew he was pained about the poor state of the masses of the nation and he was very vocal about the ills of the society including the hopelessness of the people and corruption in high places that was really biting hard on the people.

“He was crying out loud against the non-challance of the government of the day that sometimes I used to say to him to mellow down, but he was too concerned about the people that he once solicited the help of some men of God to address a Press Conference to condemn the state of affairs at the time, saying that ‘if we don’t speak up, nobody will speak up for the masses of the country,’” she explained.

Continuing, she averred that the way the investigation was ended abruptly after assurances from some senior officers of the SSS at Alagbon Close then, also pointed to the fact that there was official connivance in the brutal murder of the church founder.

According to her, nothing had disabused her mind till today as to who was responsible for the death, stating that the intelligence bureau did its best and “they assured me because I told them the investigation won’t bring him to life but I still want to know even 20 years after. But all of a sudden they dropped out and I remember one of them, telling me ‘my dear, I can feel your pain, but we can’t go any further.’”

The apostle who is now more concerned about the expansion of the husband’s vision than a remarriage, told journalists that the church was going to use the occasion to reach out to motherless babies home, old peoples homes, prisons and other activities which will culminate in a thanksgiving service today at the church.

On the forthcoming election, Apostle Anayo-Iloputaife foresees no problem because God has a special kind of love for this country, saying “we are at the verge of a major turn-around in Nigeria. We are about to step into our divine destiny. I love this nation and that is why I believe that God has a special purpose for the nation.”

Arguing that everything that could have turned the country apart failed, she urged every Nigerian to go out and vote without any fear because God loves this country specially, adding that this is God’s time for the nation. “When God wants to visit a nation, He will use somebody, so it doesn’t matter what the evil machinations of any politician, God will still arise on behalf of this country this year. Our prayers have reached God and I can tell you categorically that He is up to something beautiful for this country this time around,” she maintained.

She, however, cautioned politicians to play by the rules because no matter what they do, this country belongs to God and He will do what He wants to do regardless of what the politicians think or ever imagine.