A self-proclaimed prophet, Ebuka Obi of Zion Prayer Movement Outreach, has been implicated in yet another fake testimony scandal.
In 2023, the pastor was allegedly involved in a staged miracle with the late veteran actor John Okafor, popularly known as Mr. Ibu.
At the time, Ebuka claimed to have healed Okafor, who later passed away on March 2, 2024, after battling an illness that required seven surgeries and the amputation of his legs.
In a now-viral video, a woman who had testified at his church, Zion Ministry, about purchasing a ₦500 million mansion was seen being interrogated. She ultimately admitted that her testimony was entirely fabricated.
In a separate video, the woman had initially claimed that she went from owning just ₦300,000 worth of goods in her shop to acquiring a ₦500 million mansion in the Lekki area of Lagos State.
“Zion is the best, this is the last bus stop, I have my evidence here,” the lady had said in the video while giving her testimony.
“This is a mansion, I prophesy, are you claiming this? Stand up and claim it, receive your favour. Look at this mansion, built by a young lady, so what are you waiting for?,” Ebuka asked the congregation.
However, it was learned that the testimony was staged to mislead church members and Nigerians into “sowing seeds.”
Additionally, the actual owner of the house the woman claimed as hers reportedly had her arrested for falsely asserting ownership of his property.
In March 2024, SaharaReporters reported that the Nigeria Police Force detained blogger Chizorom Harrison Ofoegbu, popularly known as Ijele Speaks II, over his allegations against Evangelist Ebuka Obi.
In a viral post, Ijele accused the pastor of deceit, labeling all his miracles as fraudulent and calling on the police to arrest him for turning his religious institution into a business enterprise.
He wrote: “Dear @Lagos PoliceNG cc @BenHundeyin and our Ministry of Justice, have we abolished the 4(19) of our criminal code?
“For how long is this thief Ebuka Obi going to be allowed to fool people? Is he above the law? So any criminal can wake up one day and say whatever he likes and would be allowed to go free because ……? Pastor?
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“And these are the people whose business premises serve as polling units. They’ll help rig elections for politicians who in turn would be patronising them throughout their tenures. You dare not remit some of the public funds to them, else they’ll tell their sheep that God has removed his glory from you, for that reason you must fail in the next election cycle.”
The Abuja police later summoned Ijele to their station over allegations of criminal intimidation, threats to life, cyberstalking, and cyberbullying against the pastor.
A petition letter obtained by SaharaReporters stated: “This office is investigating an alleged case of criminal intimidation, threat to life, cyberstalking, cyberbullying, and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, in which your name prominently appears…”
According to the police, these offences violate sections 24(1)(a)(b), (2)(a)(b), and 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention) Act 2015, as well as sections 373 and 374 of the Criminal Code Act, punishable under section 375.
In June 2024, the Federal High Court in Lagos granted Ijele bail. The ruling was delivered by the trial judge, Justice Akintayo Aluko, in case number FHCA/3210/24.
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