David Oyedepo, the presiding bishop of Living Faith Worldwide, has kicked against the revised lockdown directives which prevent churches from operating.
The federal government had placed a ban on religious and social gatherings as part of measures to stop the spread of the COVID-19 but markets have remained open.
During a programme titled ‘Covenant Hour of Prayer‘ on Wednesday, Oyedepo questioned why markets could be opened for six hours daily while churches have remained closed.
The 65-year-old cleric also said God spoke to him about the situation on Tuesday, adding that the “voice of darkness” has now targeted churches in the country by influencing people at various levels.
“There is something wrong; for people to be allowed to be in the market for six hours and can’t be in church for two hours, it is an upside-down way of looking at things,” he said.
“Which one is more orderly? The market or the church? I can smell a rat. The Lord spoke to me on it so strong yesterday.
“I can smell a rat. Behind all this, how do we stop the church from exploding? The people involved don’t know it.
“The voice of darkness is influencing people at various levels, targeting the church because the growth and expansion of the church is the greatest headache of the devil.
“But the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The devil and all his agents shall surely pay for this. I don’t know what hospital that records the kind of healing that the church of God records.
“And now hospitals, where people die every day, are open, but the church is closed because the oppression of the devil has no medical cure.”
Chris Oyakhilome, the founder of LoveWorld Incorporated, had earlier scolded pastors for shutting down their churches in compliance with the federal government’s ban on religious gatherings.