Pastor caught burying charm, escapes lynching

UMUAHIA — BUT for the timely intervention of operatives of the Abia State Vigilante Service, 20- year-old  Blessing Okechukwu, who claims to be a Pastor would have been lynched by angry villagers of Umudinkwa community in Ubakala, Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State.

Blessing Okechukwu, from Mgboko in Obingwa Council area, who claims to superintend over a church, Divine Church, located in his native Mgboko, had gone on a deliverance mission to a family in Umudinkwa but his mission turned sour when he tried to play smart to confuse and convince the family but was caught in the act.

He went to the family to remove an “evil charm” he claimed was buried in one corner of the Agomuo compound, but ended up inserting a “charm” into the hole he and his “prophets” were digging to uproot the alleged charm discovered in the family.

According to the villagers, who descended on the fake pastor before the vigilante operatives saved him, in the course of digging the hole, Okechukwu smartly brought from his pocket, a padlock wrapped in a piece of cloth and threw it into the hole with a view to bringing it out as the buried charm they were searching for.

But nemesis caught up with him as unknown to him, a member of the family, Mr Chinedu Agomuo, an engineer, was keenly watching and following the digging process while other members of the family were carried away by the fake pastor and his team’s prayers.

Immediately, he inserted the wrapped object, which turned out to be a padlock, with which he would have convinced the family members that somebody somewhere has locked and buried their destiny, the family member interrupted and confronted him.

Realizing that his game was up, he admitted and brought out the wrapped padlock he buried.

According to Agomuo, if not for his vigilance, the young man would have succeeded in creating crisis in the family because he could have accused any member of the family of being behind the buried charm, thereby inciting the family members against each other.



Why I did it —Suspect

In an interview, young Okechukwu admitted committing the offence. He said he did that so that he would be able to convince the family members because, according to him, people will believe more when they see. So if he had succeeded in burying and uprooting the wrapped padlock, the family would have believed him and regard him as a great man of God.

He, however, added that in the two years of the existence of his church which he claimed to be registered, he has not been involved in such act.