Home News Oddity: Anambra native doctors move to expose pastors seeking spiritual powers to...
Oddity: Anambra native doctors move to expose pastors seeking spiritual powers to increase congregation
CHIGOZIE AMADI
Tension maybe brewing in the circle of Anambra State-based pastors as Native doctors in the state move to open a canker of worms with an exposition of those they tagged as fake pastors who come to them to obtain spiritual powers to enable the growth of their churches.
Recall that the native doctors, led by High Priest Ikele recently in a form of protest accused the Anambra State government of harassing their members, arguing that their constitutional right to freedom of religion was being violated.
They claimed that the state government failed to engage with them to help identify the bad actors within their communities.
It described the government’s actions as a calculated attempt to undermine traditional religion in Igbo land.
However, one of the members, who identified himself as Mazi Chukwuka Nwankwo, announced that the body had started compiling a list of fake pastors in Anambra State.
He alleged that the fake pastors frequently visit their shrines seeking spiritual assistance to increase their church congregations.
He said, “Our governor is preaching ecumenism, which means the union of all religions. We ask, is traditional religion not part of ecumenism?
“What are we talking about here? Those people who hold night vigils and perform miracles are fake, and they come to us to obtain spiritual powers to increase the size of their congregations. We have always turned them down because it is against our religion to defraud innocent people.
“There are some who even go as far as other parts of the country to obtain powers and so-called holy oil that they use to push people down in the name of anointing.”
“Governor Charles Soludo should send Agunechemba to those crusades and night vigils to observe what they do in their churches. They rip off innocent people by compelling them to buy holy water, holy oil, and holy handkerchiefs, promising that people’s businesses will flourish. People pay huge sums of money for these items, yet they are not paying taxes or levies to the state government.”
It was learnt that the move has created tension among pastors as some of them are said to be making frantic efforts to contact security operatives, urging them not to visit their churches, but security operatives are yet to confirm this.
Similarly, some native doctors have begun visiting the suspected churches, issuing warnings that they would be exposed since the pastors had failed to speak out in their defense after seeking their help to increase their congregations.
Nwankwo added, “The Anambra State government should direct its focus to these new generation churches because they are the worst kind of swindlers.
“They should also convince us, as well as the public, that they are not out to witch-hunt us, the native doctors.”
