Leader of Lighthouse Chapel International, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills
• The youth close down the church as a response to some comments made by Bishop Dag Heward-Mills
• Dag Heward-Mills in a viral audio made some disparaging remarks about Otumfuo Osei Tutu II
• He has apologized for the comments
The Bantama branch of the Lighthouse Chapel International was on Saturday, June 26, 2021, locked up by some irate youth of Asanteman in what is feared to be the beginning of reprisal attacks on the church after comments by its founder Bishop Dag Heward-Mills.
It has been reported some youth in their dozens stormed the church premises and forcibly closed up the church and threatened to beat up all those present.
Despite pleas by church authorities, the youth failed to reopen the church which resulted in them not holding church service on Monday.
Speaking on Okay FM, Tweneboa Kodua, the General Secretary of the Ashanti Youth Association (AYA) confirmed the incidents but distanced his group from it.
He explained that the group has been engaged on not carrying through their threat of taking action against the church.
“We gave him an ultimatum and asked him to seek wise counsel. The wise counsel is a process and he has been doing it. We can’t put everything in the public but certain arrangement ought to be made before one can visit Otumfuo. Seeking the wise is process that is ongoing and we are in talks with them. Asante is a kingdom so you have to be careful when dealing with us.
“We’ve been in talks with all the sub-groups so we are not aware of this action. In every situation there are exceptions that’s why I told the police not to take this matter lightly. I have been informed of the incident and will soon meet the other executives so that we deal with it,” he said.
Bishop Dag Heward-Mills incurred the wrath of the youth after allegedly making some comments which in the wisdom of youth is a denigration of Otumfuo and Asanteman.
He subsequently offered an apology, explaining that the comments were some twenty years ago.
“I am deeply saddened that a message I shared at a conference, nearly 20 years ago, has been taken out of its context and circulated by persons who have previously declared that they will maliciously cause our churches in Kumasi to be closed down”, it stated.
“I deeply regret that my words spoken almost 20 years ago have offended this honourable institution, which has worked tirelessly for many years to make Ghana and the world a better place for all of us to live in.”