Five people, whose job is to claim spurious miracles for some churches during crusades and other programmes, are now in police custody in Enugu State. The suspects, during interrogation, told the police that the aim was to draw more people to the unnamed churches and ministries.
The suspects were arrested on Friday at Holy Ghost park axis and Saturday at the popular P&T axis of the state by policemen attached to the Central Police Station, Enugu State.
The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police (SP) Ebere Amaraizu, announced the arrest in a statement made available to journalists in Enugu.
Amaraizu gave their names as Ejike Obi from Ubaho Okija in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State; Mary Kuku from Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State; Joy Oluwakemi from Ojo, Lagos State; Chizoba Nwosu from Umunze in Anambra State and Uchechi Peter from Ebonyi State.
The PPRO said they were picked up on their way to churches in Abakiliki and Enugu. Amaraizu said that luck ran out on members of the syndicate as confusion broke out among them at a bus stop leading to an argument which attracted the attention of policemen nearby.
The policemen intervened and discovered that Obi and Oluwakemi were not coherent. Further interrogation, according to Amaraizu, revealed they had a sinister motive.
He said: “Eventually others billed for Abakiliki church/ ministry prophecy were trailed and nabbed at P&T bus stop while waiting for bus to Abakiliki. One of the suspects, Uchechi Peter, said they were recruited in large numbers and kept in a house at Onitsha, Anambra State from where they usually move to various states of the country to confirm a prophecy for the purpose of winning more souls for the said church or ministry. She added that they were usually paid through their coordinator who hired the house and kept them there.
“According to her, they can be detailed to go to any state but the number of the link man in the said church/ministry is usually provided to them for easy connection on arrival and that they usually dialogue with the link man to the pastor of the church/ministry on the shape the job will take.
“She went ahead to reveal that they usually state their names, nature of problem they had and other necessary information which would be given to the pastor of the church/ ministry for his guidance and during the prophetic hours, she would be among the people with the said problem that would come out.
“The pastor, using the said information, would prophesy that she would be touched and she would fall and the pastor would proclaim the problem is all over and that she has received her healing.
That way,members of the congregation would believe that the pastor is powerful and is a man of God. This would attract more members to the church.” Peter was quoted as saying that individuals are paid based on their roles. She said: “Some pastors use us to grow their churches or ministries.
We are paid later through our coordinator; depending our roles.”
On his part, Obi, the only man among the suspects, said he worked hand in hand with the coordinator and he was the link the between other suspects and Abakiliki /Enugu job. According to the PPRO, Obi claimed he joined the lucrative job after his business collapsed because of the activities of fraudsters in Lagos and then decided to relocate to Onitsha where he started to recruit candidates for false miracle.
Amaraizu said the suspect was, however, remorseful on the grounds that he was not doing a moral thing. According the police image- maker, another suspect, Nwosu, corroborated Peter and Obi’s statements.
Nwosu said she had a baby out of wedlock before joining the ‘business,’ which she started in Abuja before moving to Onitsha.
“Oluwakemi and Kuku are mothers of four each but their husbands are no more with them and there is need for life to go on hence they have to join the lucrative business through their friend, who linked them to the coordinator,” the PPRO said.
He added that investigation was still on to get to the root of the matter.
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