ritualist' den in Ikorodu, has finally told
his own side of the story stating that his church is not a ritualist den but a place that is used to treat mentally ill people as against what was earlier alledged.
Speaking about the incident for the first
time, Nwankwo told Vanguard, that he doesn't even know the lady
"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.
Read more after the cut
We have rehabilitation center 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.
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