The Nation Newspaper

Tag: pastor

  • Drama as pastor ‘heals’madman

    Drama as pastor ‘heals’madman

    There was drama at Cele bus stop in Lagos last Friday after a madman, Taiwo Shittu, ‘miraculously’ regained his sanity.

    A crowd comprising traders and commuters blocked the pedestrian bridge for over two hours to watch the ‘miracle’ which happened around 10a.m.

    It was gathered that a pastor, who was in a commercial bus, alighted sighting three madmen under the bridge.

    While the two others were said to have fled, Shittu, who has allegedly been mad for about 15 years was delivered and ministered to.

    It was learnt that at first, Shittu resisted, but the preacher was adamant.

    The pastor was quoted as saying that his spirit told him to pray for Shittu to deliver him from bondage.

    He was said to have subdued Shittu who allegedly became confused and wondered why he was in rags.

    When The Nation arrived on the scene, onlookers have shaved Shittu’s hair and provided him cloths.

    People were seen donating money to him, while others scrambled to get the pastor’s contact.

  • ‘Pastor’ docked for alleged N6m prayer fraud

    A 38-year-old ‘pastor’, Ilimesekhe Ogie, yesterday appeared before an Ojo Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly obtaining N6 million from Rufus Ezuluka to pray for him to become rich.

    Prosecuting inspector Uche Simon said the accused committed the offence on June 7, 2014 at Alaba International Market in Ojo.

    “The accused on the said date did conspire to commit felony to wit stealing money from a prayer client for prayers to become rich.

    “Ogie conspired and collected N4.2million from Ezuluka who said he needed prayers to become a rich man.

    “Ezuluka gave Mbisike Ekene the sum of N1.8million so that he could be linked to the pastor for prayers, ‘’he said.

    Simon added that Ezuluka, a salesman, unlawfully, collected the money from his boss, Enoch Okwunne, who owns an electrical wire shop.

    The accused pleaded not guilty.

    Chief Magistrate Paul Adedamola granted him N10.5 million bail, with two sureties in the like sum.

    Adedamola said one of the sureties must be a civil servant, be gainfully employed.

    He said one of the sureties must be a blood relation of the accused. The magistrate adjourned the case to June 27, for further hearing.

  • Pastor charged with cloning bank manager’s cheque

    Pastor charged with cloning bank manager’s cheque

    The police have accused a 63-year-old self-acclaimed clergyman, Samuel Bonny, of cloning an Access Bank manager’s cheque worth N5 million.

    Bonny, whose address was not given, was docked Friday before Mrs. S. K. Matepo of an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, fraud and forgery.

    Prosecuting Sergeant Nicholas Akpene told the court that the defendant and others at large committed the alleged offences on April 26, at 2:00 pm, at Access Bank PLC headquarters, Lagos.

    He alleged that the defendant attempted to defraud Access Bank by presenting a cloned manager’s cheque of N5m for confirmation at the bank.

    Akpene said that the accused forged the cheque and presented it so that it would be acted upon as genuine.

    He said that the offences contravened Sections 363 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

    The defendant denied the charge.

    Magistrate, Mrs. Matepo, admitted him to bail in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in the like sum.

    The sureties, she added, must swear to an affidavit of means and must be tax compliant.
    The case was adjourned till May 25 for mention.

  • Pastor held for ‘baby theft’

    •‘I didn’t steal the child’

    The police have arrested Pastor Esther Ozuem, General Overseer of Word Encounter Ministry for alleged child theft.

    Mrs Ozuem who is being detained at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) at Panti, Yaba, Lagos Mainland, is said to have stolen the nine-month-old boy from a member of her church.

    Mrs Ozuem, it was gathered, went to Alakuko Police Station on March 18 to report a case of child abandonment in her church.

    But the story changed when detectives discovered that the pastor took the child from his mother, Christianah Ebele, 24, the day she delivered.

    According to police investigation, the pastor registered the child at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), where the baby was immunised as Temple Ozuem, with her mother’s name given as Chinyere Ozuem.

    The suspect, it was learnt, is also being investigated to ascertain the maternity of her three children.

    In her statement, Ebele claimed that she went to the pastor for financial assistance when she was pregnant and the “woman of God” agreed to help her.

    She said she was taken to Ozuem’s church by her elder sister who worships there, adding that her sister told the pastor that they were poor and could not take care of the baby.

    The woman, who denied abandoning nor selling her baby to the pastor, said she was chased out of her house for attempting to feed the crying child.

    “My elder sister took me to her church where I met Pastor Esther. My sister told her that we are poor and we cannot take care of the pregnancy and that when the baby is born, life will be harder for us.

    “I was eight months pregnant and she agreed to help me. Pastor Esther took me in and she promised to help establish me financially after I give birth. She told me that she will give me money to start a business and cater for the child.

    “However, after I gave birth, she changed towards me. The day I gave birth, it was raining heavily. She refused to take me to the hospital. She brought a nurse to deliver me of the baby. To my shock, Pastor Esther took the baby from me immediately I gave birth and warned me not to touch the child.

    “She also told me not to breastfeed the baby and when the baby was crying and I attempted to feed him, she got angry and chased me out of the house in the rain. I was crying but she did not allow me to carry my baby. I had to find my way to my sister’s house and I told her what happened.

    “I did not go to the police station because I did not know what to do. Besides, I did not have money. I am very poor and can barely feed myself.

    “My mother is also poor and other members of my family are not doing fine financially. So, I decided to leave everything to God. I found out that Pastor Esther took my son and she had a child naming for him without informing me. She named him Temple Ozuem and even took him to the health centre and registered him as her son. I don’t know why she came to report to the police but even now I can’t cater for him.

    “I need help and it is not true that I sold my baby. She did not give me any money. I only approached her for help,” she said.

    Pastor Ozuem is insisting that she did not steal the baby, claiming that the mother abandoned the child.

  • Man nabbed for ‘robbing’ pastor

    Rapid Response Squad (RRS) operatives on Saturday arrested a 25-year-old man, Paul Bassey, for allegedly robbing a pastor.

    Bassey was arrested around 6am near Victoria Garden City (VGC) on the Lekki-Epe expressway.

    He was said to have held Pastor David Oriaki, who gave him a ride, hostage in the cleric’s car.

    It was gathered that on entering the car, Bassey allegedly pointed a gun at the pastor, telling him the routes to take.

    But Oriaki told The Nation that on sighting the RRS after the toll gate, he marched the brake, diverted his vehicle and shouted for help.

    “It was around 6am on Saturday. The young man entered my car around VGC round about and the next thing; he pointed a gun at me. He asked me to drive towards a particular direction.

    “But by that time I have put my car on the E-tag at the toll gate. I was hoping I will see those policemen that are usually not far from there. The barricade was not opening and so, he told me to reverse my car. As I was about to reverse, the barricade opened and he told me to drive straight.

    “I was just praying and trying to buy time. I was driving fast too and he told me to make a U-turn but I told him I cannot just be turning like that especially on the speed I was driving.

    “At this point, he has searched me, collected my phone and money and was still pointing his gun at me.

    “Eventually along the road, I sighted some RRS operatives from a distance. I just slammed my brakes and diverted towards them. I hurriedly ran out of the car and screamed for help.

    “He did not see them initially. When I ran out, he wanted to pursue me. Then, he saw them and escaped but they immediately chased him.

    “Two RRS vehicles pursued him. One of them was marked 187, I do not know the number on the other one. He crossed the road and they chased him and caught him.

    “I am really impressed by the actions of the officers. They were very responsive and saved me from the criminal,” he said.

    The Nation gathered that the suspect is being held at the Special Anti-Robbery Sqaud (SARS) Headquarters in Ikeja.

  • Pastor launches three books, two albums

    The founder of King of Kings Evangelical Ministries Lagos, Pastor Evans Mozurunyem, has launched a music album and three books.

    The books are titled Overcoming forces of discouragement, quenching the fire, stilling the storm and Over and above.”

    The album and books, according to him, were not for “commercial reason but a message of deliverance to the world.”

    He added: “God gave me this commission. This is an injunction of God; His directive to me.”

    Mozurunyem, at the launch, treated guests to some tracks such as God of Mercy and Let it shine upon my life from the album.

    The album titled Karisma and e-Gospel are the first from the church founder.

    He assured he will release more based on inspiration.

    “For as long as God continues to inspire me and the spirit of ministering in songs continues to come upon me, the songs will continue to unfold with time,” Mozurunyem said.

  • Our kidnappers mistook us for VIPs – Pastor

    Our kidnappers mistook us for VIPs – Pastor

    The Christ Embassy group Pastor, Lawrence Ehimare, and 11 other passengers abducted along Bayelsa State waterways, Tuesday, regained their freedom.

    Ehimare was among the occupants of two speedboats which were hijacked on Monday along Brass-Yenagoa waterways by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers and sea robbers.

    Narrating his ordeal, the pastor said the 14 hours they spent with the kidnappers was a nasty period.

    He said their boats were hijacked at about 9am and taken to the hoodlums’ camp in the creeks.

    He said they were blindfolded by the gunmen who took their time to dispossess them of their valuables including mobile phones and cash.

    He said the abductors initially mistook them for very important personalities they could hold hostage and later ask for ransom.

    He said the gunmen were mad after discovering that the occupants of the boats were civil servants.

    He said: “Initially they thought we were important person they will hold down and demand ransom. So, what they did was look into our faces and ask, honourable, who are you? Are you not an honourable?

    “And when they got to me I told them I am a pastor. When they discovered that most of the passengers were normal civil servants and pastor we were released and dumped near a fishing point at around 11pm.

    “It was from there that we were eventually rescued through a fishing canoe to Okoroma town, where we slept till this morning.

    “It was not a pleasant experience but I thank God for his divine mercies and for rescuing all of us alive. It was horrifying but I want to give God all the glory.”

     

  • Gunmen abduct pastor, 11 others in Bayelsa

    Gunmen abduct pastor, 11 others in Bayelsa

    Gunmen suspected to be sea robbers and kidnappers, Monday, attacked two speedboats along Bayelsa State waterways and abducted a pastor and 11 other passengers.

    It was gathered that the bandits hijacked the boats and redirected them to an unknown place in the creeks.

    The boats were said to be heading for Yenagoa from Twon-Brass when they were seized with their contents and passengers by the gunmen.

    The commercial speedboats reportedly took off from Twon-Brass through the notorious Nembe waterways to Yenagoa around 7am.

    The gunmen were said to have waylaid them immediately after the Obama rice farm in Nembe and diverted them to the Okoroma creek.

    A source who spoke in confidence confirmed that 12 passengers on board the boats were rounded up and taken away by the gunmen.

    He said:  “As I am speaking with you, we are yet to hear from the abductors or from the pastor since then, you can see the wife of the pastor over there, and she is completely devastated and has to be attended to. She is in a state of mind that I cannot explain.

    “Since we got the news I have called the DPO, Nembe, the Bayelsa Commissioner of Police, the JTF Commander and all other relevant security agencies in the Bayelsa waterways to help secure the release of the pastor and the other 11 passengers.”

    When contacted the Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) Asinim Bustwat, confirmed the incident.

  • Pastor held for ‘burying charm’ in church

    •Cleric claims he was in church to remove juju 

    A cleric in Benin, Edo State, Apostle Ikenna Okafor, has been arrested for allegedly burying a charm in front of his church.

    The type of charm buried in the church could not be ascertained last night, but residents said it was a live animal.

    Ikenna, who heads Great Minds Prayer Ministry, was whisked away by the police to avoid being lynched by angry residents.

    The church, located on Esigie Street, was a beehive of activities as residents atruggled to catch a glimpse of what was allegedly buried in front of the church.

    The whistle blower, Chinedu Nnamdi, said his father woke him up at 2 a.m. on Saturday morning to see what the pastor was doing.

    Chinedu said he saw the pastor burying something in front of the church, adding that he switched on the light to be sure.

    The eyewitness said the cleric performed a little ritual and walked round the church severally before driving away.

    Efforts to speak with Ikenna were fruitfuless as he was in police custody at the Esigie Police Division.

    But police sources told our reporter that the cleric said he went to the church to remove a charm allegedly buried there by an unknown person.

    The pastor reportedly told the police that there was a dispute on the land, adding that his opponents buried the charm and called the police.

    Police spokesman Osifo Abiodun, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the police were holding the cleric while the matter was being investigated to know who buried the charm in the church.

  • Gunmen demand N30.2m to release abducted pastor

    Gunmen demand N30.2m to release abducted pastor

    Gunmen yesterday abducted Mr. Mark Christmas, a pastor of the New Anointing Chapel of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

    It was learnt that Christmas was kidnapped with two of his church members at his hometown in Biseingbene community, Ekeremor Local Government Area.

    His wife, Evelyn, said the pastor was lured to the community under the guise of an emergency meeting.

    She said the abductors, who seized her husband on October 18, posed as his kinsmen.

    Mrs Christmas said: “You know we reside in Yenagoa. On that fateful day, my husband was invited to Biseingbene for a meeting by the abductors.

    “When he got to the community, he found out that the invitation for a meeting was false and a devillish plan to kidnap him. My husband has spent over two weeks with  them.”

    It was gathered that the kidnappers had contacted the pastor’s family, demanding N30 million ransom to free him.

    They were said to have also requested N200,000 as the cost of their phone calls to the family.

    Mrs. Christmas said: “It is over two weeks and I have not heard from or seen my husband. But some of our relatives, who live in the village, told me they spoke with him.

    “I planned to contact the police but the family said I should not involve the police to avoid incurring the wrath of the kidnappers. The reason is that my husband might be killed by the hoodlums, if the police were involved. It is very painful; one’s husband snatched away for two weeks…”

    Police spokesman Asinim Butswat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the family had not reported the matter to the command.

    He said: “They have not reported the incident to us. But if they come to us, we are ready to mobilise.”