House on the Rock, a church headquartered in Lagos with branches in several cities across the country, has responded to the recent detention and questioning of its founder, Paul Adefarasin.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Lagos State Police Command interrogated the clergyman on Tuesday over an allegation that he pointed a firearm at a content creator known as Yl_thecarguy in Lagos.
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The police, however, granted the 62-year-old bail after several hours of questioning and disclosed that the item recovered from the Convener and Host of ‘The Experience’ gospel concert was not a firearm.
According to the police, a stun gun, classified as a prohibited anti-riot device, was recovered from Mr Adefarasin.
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However, in a statement signed by its media department and posted on Instagram on Wednesday night, the church claimed that the police wrongly identified a strobe-light device in Mr Adefarasin’s possession.
The church maintained that the item the police claimed to have recovered from its founder was neither a stun gun nor any form of anti-riot equipment.
“We are grateful to everyone who has expressed concern following Pastor Paul Adefarasin’s voluntary attendance at the Lagos State Police Command on Tuesday, 17 June 2025. Pastor Paul was detained for several hours and released without charge.
“During that time, an official police tweet mis-labelled his strobe-light stinger, also known as a stun gun, as ‘prohibited anti-riot equipment.’ Leading Nigerian lawyers advise that this description is incorrect in law”, the church said.
Professional conduct
Additionally, the church stated that its founder is law-abiding and will continue cooperating with the investigation.
This newspaper reported that the police said the investigation is ongoing, as the clergyman was only granted bail.
Emphasising the need for professionalism, the church stated, “Pastor Paul continues to cooperate fully with the police investigation and is confident that, once the facts are reviewed, he will be exonerated of the allegation arising from the viral video.
“We hold the police in high esteem and trust they will strive to act courteously and professionally, in the interest of all, while upholding the laws of the land.”
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This newspaper reported that, before turning himself in for questioning, Mr Adefarasin had denied the allegation that he pointed a gun at the content creator known for filming luxury cars and sharing the footage on his platforms.
He stated that the object, which appeared to be a firearm, was not a real weapon.
In one of his sermons, he maintained that he neither owned a firearm nor pointed one at anyone.
The architecture graduate from the University of Miami said he felt hurt and shocked when he learned of the online controversy surrounding the video.
He also described the incident as both hurtful and malicious.
