Lagos Prophet ‘Implicated’ in Ritual Saga Opens up

The news broke, just like a thunderbolt. Mrs. Rosemary
Chukwu, a mother of four, residing at 33, Omolegede street, a
suburb of Ikorodu area in Lagos State, abducted a seven-year-
old primary School pupil, Emmanuel Emeka, and was about
taking him to a den when it was foiled .
Shockingly, the suspect revealed to the bewildered crowd that
gathered after she was caught that her pastor asked her to
bring the boy. She mentioned the General Overseer of Holy
Family Ministry a.k.a House of Mercy in the same Ikorodu, as
her pastor.

The pastor, identified as Ernest Chukwuemeka Nwankwo, 49,
was said to be on the run and was later apprehended and
handed over to the police at the State Criminal Investigations
Department, Panti, Yaba, Lagos for interrogation. Crime Guard
was able to corner the embattled pastor as he was leaving the
confines of police cell at Panti and he gave his own account of
the ugly incident.
Excerpts:

INTRODUCTION

“My name is Prophet Ernest Chukwuemeka Nwankwo, from
Nsugbe in Anambra East L.G.A, Anambra State. I have a
Ministry formerly called Jesus Divine Healing and Deliverance
Ministry now called Holy Family, Happy Family Ministry. I was
out of Lagos for two weeks. I came back on Tuesday, June 14,
and came to my Ministry on Wednesday morning.
My ministry is located at 319, Lagos road, Majudeen in
Ikorodu. We carry out prayers and deliverance in the ministry.
The ministry started in 1997. We have no less than 15000
members with a spread in virtually all the major cities in
Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. I started
as a member of Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement
before I established my own ministry. I am 49 yrs.
Chukwuemeka Nwankwo

“ I do not know how these allegations of ritual actions against
me started. My ministry has existed for 17 years and we have
never been associated with any bad thing or any untoward
allegation. We have been doing well in carrying out God’s work
since we came into existence. People troop to our ministry, we
organize children’s day for over 30,000 children all over our
branches every year. In Ikorodu, we normally have not less
than 10,000 children during the day.

We have hosted these children since we stated and we have
never had any problem for more than 10 years now. We have
equally been doing well in all our activities, we have
rehabilitation centre where mad people are healed. Relations
of such people bring them to our ministry and also stay with
them until they are healed after which they will go home. We
do not charge them, we feed them free. So, the ministry has
been flourishing in all our branches.

“When I got to the office on Wednesday, June 15 to do some
work and leave for Abuja for another programme, within 20
minutes, around 7.30am, a group of people, armed with
dangerous weapons invaded our ministry, breaking down
everything at sight. They also descended on our members who
were over 50 in attendance for the morning worship.

They were over 300 and were ferociously destroying all the
properties and manhandling everybody. It was like hell was let
loose on us. They were armed to the teeth and were
unrestrained in their bid to destroy everything in the ministry.
They not only subjected our members to serious beating, they
also took all their bags and stripped all the women and
children naked. I was inside the office when they invaded the
place but they later broke into my office and descended on me.
We were all seriously wounded and our bodies covered with
blood.

RESCUE

Surprisingly, four of the hoodlums took pity on me and rescued
me from their clutches as they were hitting my head with
cutlasses and dangerous weapons. They took me to Owutu
police station where I made a statement. When they asked me
how it started, I could not explain but simply told them that
some hoodlums invaded our ministry for no just cause.

It was while we were there that the people that rescued me told
us that a woman claimed I sent her to kidnap somebody’s
child. It was like a fairy tale to me. Before the police I asked
for the identity of the woman and why she claimed I told her to
kidnap somebody and they said it was for ritual purposes.
After I recovered from the shock, the policemen then advised
that I should go and treat myself because I was bleeding
profusely as a result of the beating.

I then proceeded to the hospital for treatment only to start
reading in the papers the following day a lot of other damaging
stories and that I was on the run. I personally reported to the
police at Owutu in Ikorodu after treating myself and also
personally reported at Panti the following day on a Monday.

AT PANTI

By Thursday morning, unfounded rumours were flying every
where. On Friday, while I was going to treat myself, I quickly
sent my lawyer to Panti after hearing the rumours flying
everywhere about me and that the case was transferred to
Panti.

My lawyer told them that I personally reported to the police at
Owute after the incident and that I was allowed to go and treat
myself. He then wrote an undertaking to produce me the next
Monday and we all came to Panti that Monday straight from
the General hospital Ikeja where I had an x-ray.   Even one of
my ribs was said to have cracked and I sustained other serious
injuries.

INTERROGATION AT PANTI

I can’t remember seeing or meeting the woman before. A lot of
people come to my ministry so, it will be very difficult for me to
know all of them. However, the police at Panti interrogated
both of us and, in fact, when they brought her before me, I
could not remember seeing her in life and I told the policemen
this fact. I can’t even remember whether she called me on
telephone or not because I cannot say the number of people
that call me on telephone for my number is open and given to
people freely to help in solving their spiritual problems.

Nevertheless, the police interrogated both of us, she claimed
that Holy spirit told her that I should give her N2.5 million, and
that she came and told me to give her the money but I told her
that I had no money, that she came back again to me and
requested for the money and I then told her to go and bring a
child before I will give her the money.

I then asked her where we discussed this, if she has any
evidence to show that she ever visited my ministry because
visitors to the ministry always register their names before
seeing me, or if there is any other evidence to show that we
discussed that kind of thing. I punctured her story because I
cannot understand what concerns me with her message with
her Holy spirit.

SUCKING BLOOD

She also claimed that I have been seeing her in the spirit to
suck her blood and that of her daughter with two gallons since
she failed to bring a child to me. She claimed that I used to
stand at her door for two days, tormenting her, and that was
why she had to go for the child when she was caught.

I asked her where we met and discussed because I have been
out of town for two weeks and how did she know that I came
back. She said she was aware that I came back because I used
to carry out consultations. It is well known by everybody that
my consultation days are announced for members of the public
to come and be healed. She also claimed she called me on
phone in December last year and that she came to the ministry
once this year but she could not substantiate where we
discussed her claims.

She was thoroughly interrogated but she kept on contradicting
herself as if she was either insane or under a spell.
Unfortunately, her daughter she claimed I was sucking her
blood with hers whom she said was 14 years was not there
during the interrogation.

I had hoped that she was there for us all to be able to decipher
what her mother was talking about because she is old enough
to speak for her self at 14. I have never had this kind of ugly
experience and I pray never to have it again. I also pray that
the police should endevour to get to the route of this case
because I have suffered so much over a matter I do not know
anything about.

KIDNAP SAGA

The man that was shown saying he was kidnapped and brought
from Anambra State is one of the mad people undergoing
treatment in my ministry. The cousin that brought him to the
ministry is Mr. Atuanya, a member of my ministry and his wife
has been with him in the ministry while he was undergoing
treatment. They are living witnesses and they are ready to
testify to anybody that cares to know the truth.

This rumor against me is very painful to me because I suffered
for over fourteen years to build this ministry to serve mankind.
All of a sudden, and from the pit of hell, an unknown figure
materialized from no where to pour odium on me and accuse
me of ritual acts. In all these years, nobody has ever
complained or petitioned against my activities in the ministry.

Instead, people have been pouring encomiums and giving glory
to God for all we have been doing for mankind. The whole thing
is still like a dream and I pray I would wake up and testify that
it was really a dream. My ministry operates an open door
policy, we have no go areas, both visitors and members of the
ministry are never restricted even up to my personal office.
Why must I send her to bring a child to me when I am happily
married with children, what will I do with the child?

INCALCULABLE DAMAGE

This very ugly development has affected me psychologically in
a tremendous way, the emotional trauma is untold. In terms of
the good will I built over the years, the name, in fact, one
cannot quantify the degree of destruction done to me by this
very ugly and unfounded, mischievous rumor. I have suffered
and lost almost everything because the ugly news went beyond
the shores of this country.

People have been calling from all the parts of the world and
you know that bad news travels faster than any other thing. It
is very unfortunate that people believe such a story when there
is nothing at all to hang it on the head of the prophet. And,
when you look at the woman, you will know that she is some
how deranged and we are convinced that by the time police
finish their investigation, the truth will be out.

WHY ME?

What I cannot fathom is why she choose to tell all these lies
against me. She may have been sent by somebody to run me
down because people in that neighborhood said they saw one
mysterious SUV hovering around in the wee hours before the
incident and also the mother of the victim reportedly said she
saw an exotic vehicle that later picked up her children,.
Police should investigate to find out who owns the vehicle and
where they were taken to. Who ever picked her children must
have a link with this incident.

Police should also find out whether this is the first time she is
doing this kind of thing and if it is not, how many people must
have falling victims to her antics? Worse still, so far, nobody
has told us where the woman is from because the way the
media descended on the ministry, they left out the main
ingredient of the whole matter as if they were sponsored to run
down the ministry.

All I know is that she cannot be doing this alone. Her sponsors
should be fished out. So far, the police has been professional
in their interrogation and they made us understand that
investigations will take time and that the truth must surely
surface.

INSIDE THE CELL

Inside the cell, I detested being treated like a criminal but I
took it as another message point in terms of ministration after
all, Jesus went through worst tribulation in life.


Source: Vanguard & naijagospel