InsideOjodu had earlier reported that the 42-year-old cleric died in his sleep on Wednesday in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, where he was based with his family.

Reacting to the news of his death, the Church in an official statement on Thursday via its verified Twitter handle, @rccghq, wrote, “It is with a deep and heartfelt sense of loss, we announce the departure of our beloved son, brother, husband and father, Oluwadamilare Temitayo Adeboye, who went to be with the Lord on the 4th of May, 2021.

“His life was well lived as he served the Lord without reserve, giving effortlessly and leading fearlessly. He was crowned by the Lord with blessings of 3 seeds and a beautiful wife.

“Though shaken, our anchor remains Jesus Christ in whom we have the assurance that we will one day meet in a place where there is no pain. It is the wish of the family to be granted privacy at this moment and that prayers be offered on their behalf.”

Mrs Ibelegbu Chidinma made this known as a testimony during the ongoing ministers conference on Saturday night.

Chidinma said she prayed that God should allow her captors to fall asleep after which she sneaked out of the kidnappers’ den.

Oyeyemi said she was rescued unhurt and also assured an unrelenting effort to rescue the remaining victims even though the kidnappers who kept them separately were changing their locations from time to time within the forest.

The statement reads, “The Ogun State Police Command has rescued Mrs Ibelegbo Chidinma the only woman amongst those abducted on Thursday unhurt. The woman who is a Deaconess of The Redeemed Christian Church of God regained her freedom in the early hour of today 3rd of August 2019, and she is currently at the command’s headquarters in Abeokuta where arrangement is being made to take her to the Redemption Camp. Efforts is on top gear to rescue the remaining victims as the kidnappers who kept them in separate locations were changing their locations from time to time within the forest.”

Adeboye made this announcement on Friday, August 2, while giving a talk at the church camp along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, explaining that the ministers have been adopted since on Thursday, August 1, along the Ijebu-Ode axis.

Pastor Adeboye, while admonishing the congregation to pray for the release of the abductees, noted that it was the first time incident of such magnitude will occur.

“As a father, how do you think I should feel to hear that five of my children have been kidnapped while on their way to attend the ministers’ conference?” he queried.