“It is equally on social media that the person he pointed it to is a content creator and we are taking a statement from him as soon as he equally gets to us because we have got his address and we’re going to get him to make a statement in that regard.”

While confirming that Adefarasin had been granted bail, the police commissioner said, “The pastor is still under investigation but we will continue with the investigation and make the outcome of the investigation public for all Nigerians to know.”

Reacting to the incident, Pastor Adefarasin took to his official X handle to dispel the rumours, stating: “You might be aware of a video which has been circulating on social media showing me in what some have misunderstood as brandishing a firearm. I want to assure you of this — that was certainly not a firearm, and at no point did I point such at anyone.”

During last Sunday’s service, which was streamed on the church’s YouTube channel, the 62-year-old cleric further addressed the controversy, saying: “I was falsely accused of bearing a firearm, pointing a firearm at an aggressive content creator who came within personal distance.”

“The only thing separating him and me was maybe three-quarters of a metre and a glass. I do not have a pistol licence. I do not carry a firearm, and I pointed no firearm at anybody.”

He described the reaction to the video as “hurtful” and “malicious,” alleging it was driven by online opportunists: “We have witnessed clickbaiters just looking for more money. I probably wasn’t even their target; their target was to make more money.”

Reflecting on the emotional toll of the situation, Adefarasin added, “I am human. But God is touched by our infirmities and can first give us succour. And what the enemy means for evil, He works for good.”

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

The Lagos State Police Command says the use of a stun gun as a form of threat or to create fear in the mind of another constitutes an offence under the law.

Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, disclosed this while giving an update on the case involving the Prelate and Metropolitan Senior Pastor of House on the Rock Church, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, who was granted bail after questioning over a gun-like object found in his possession in a viral video.

Jimoh said nothing is an offence under the law, except what the law states to be an offence, saying even under the Fire Arms Act, if anyone fashion out anything that is not metal, like wood, and make it look like a gun, and use that guise to take possession of property from another person, the said person has committed armed robbery.

According to him, so, pointing a stun gun at another individual and sending that threat and fear to such a person at that particular time constitutes an offence, so, the police are doing everything in line with the law.

Jimoh reiterated that the object recovered from the pastor was a stun gun and not a lethal weapon, saying the stun gun was prohibited riot equipment under the law.

In his words, the pastor was invited; a letter of invitation was sent to him. In fact, we had prepared our warrant of arrest, in case he refused to comply with the invitation. But he turned himself in and was questioned by a team of investigators who were already on the matter before he turned himself in.

“The matter is still undergoing further investigation. As the PPRO has informed the public, what was recovered from him was a stun gun, not a lethal weapon, but is prohibited riot equipment which we are investigating. We further questioned him why he pointed such to another individual.

The police commissioner further said the person, at whom the object was pointed, would also be invited to give a statement regarding the incident that trended on social media.

“It is equally on social media that the person he pointed it to is a content creator and we are taking a statement from him as soon as he equally gets to us because we have got his address and we’re going to get him to make a statement in that regard.

“So, the pastor is still under investigation, though he has been granted bail, but we will continue with the investigation and make the outcome of the investigation public for all Nigerians to know,” he added.

Adefarasin was granted bail by the police on Wednesday after he turned himself in on Tuesday following the incident.

According to the police, Adefarasin was interrogated and he volunteered a cautionary statement to the police investigators.

The video, which surfaced earlier this month, showed the prominent pastor driving a Range Rover, winding down his window, and engaging with a road user while holding a black unidentified object.

The footage sparked widespread speculation online, with many alleging the object resembled a firearm.

In a reaction, however, Pastor Adefarasin took to his official X handle to dismiss the claims.

“You might be aware of a video which has been circulating on social media showing me in what some have misunderstood as brandishing a firearm. I want to assure you of this — that was certainly not a firearm, and at no point did I point such at anyone,” he wrote.

During last Sunday’s service which was streamed live on the church’s YouTube channel, he reiterated his position, describing the public reaction as both “hurtful” and “malicious”.

“I was falsely accused of bearing a firearm, pointing a firearm at an aggressive content creator who came within personal distance,” he said. “The only thing separating him and me was maybe three-quarters of a metre and a glass. I do not have a pistol licence. I do not carry a firearm, and I pointed no firearm at anybody.”

Speaking further, he said, “We have witnessed clickbaiters just looking for more money. I probably wasn’t even their target; their target was to make more money,” he told the congregation.

Reflecting on the toll the saga took on him, the 62-year-old cleric admitted feeling “shocked” and “hurt” when notified of the trending video.

“I am human. But God is touched by our infirmities and can first give us succour. And what the enemy means for evil, He works for good,” he added.

The Commissioner of Police said the response time of his men to robbery and other public order offences is five minutes, saying the command response time to crime is less than 10 minutes, they have even reduced it further to five minutes.

Jimoh assured Lagosians that the state was secure and safe. According to him, the police get to the bad boys before they harm residents of the state.

He said most of the violent crimes in Lagos are constantly prevented by his men.

“For those crimes that couldn’t be detected, there is prompt detection to serve as a deterrence to others.

“For any would-be suspects who want to commit crimes, if you know that once you commit the crime, you would be apprehended, then definitely you have a second thinking about it but most of the violent crimes in the state are prevented,” the police commissioner stated.

Jimoh said state police is not the solution to Nigeria’s security challenges, but adequate funding for the Nigeria Police Force.

“There is no doubt that state police are not the answer to our problem; proper police funding, which the Federal Government has taken upon itself, is the way forward.

“A lot of people who are advocates of state police don’t look at where unitary policing is working,” he said.

The police commissioner further said his men’s behaviour has changed over time, adding that they have successfully eradicated traffic robbery in Lagos.

Jimoh said the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission would determine the level of restriction on movement during the July 12, 2025, local government election across the state.

“That is going to be determined by the electoral body if there is going to be restriction of movement in the state, but on our own, if there is going to be a security threat that will threaten the election, then we will have to ensure that we enforce restriction which is going to be moderate; it is not going to shut down the entire state because we are going to ensure that we have enough personnel to police the entire state,” he said.