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War over witches
•As pastors fight over
demons
From JOE EFFIOING, Uyo
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
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•Evangelist
Ukpabio
•Photo: Sun News Publishing
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Helen Ukpabio, tele-evangelist, church founder, film actor
and movie producer, is one clergywoman who can smoke out one
witch in a crowd of millions of saints. Or so it seems.
Nearly all her films, which however are anchored on morality,
has some elements of futile display of witchcraft powers which
eventually get subdued by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thus, when she literally came to paint Uyo red (her members
actually marched in the streets wearing reddish T-Shirts)
about three weeks ago, on a campaign which theme was “Coven
on Naked Wire”, then it was obvious that something witching
was in the air.
And those who expected a bountiful harvest of witches advised
in the crusade posters to come out for free deliverance, were
not disappointed as it was reported that more than 500
people, mostly children voluntary went out to label
themselves witches or wizard in order to get the awoof deliverance.
But that is where the story began to get K-leg according to
Apostle John Okoriko, the founder and president of Solid Rock
Kingdom Church, whose church along Ikot Ekpene Road Uyo is
only about 300 metres from Helen Ukpabio’s Liberty Gospel
Church situated in the same axis.
Okoriko told The Sun a few days after the “Coven on
Naked Wire” crusade that the claim of delivering 500
witches and wizards was nothing but a charade since there
were no such number of witches in Uyo, as such the claim was
fraudulent and ungodly especially when Ukpabio was reported
to have instructed those delivered to be attending the various
branches of her church for eight months for them to be monitored.
“It is embarrassing in 21st century where every
nation is going scientific and to the space that we are still
talking about witchcraft. It is time we faced reality and
not absurdity. I strongly disagree with the notion that Akwa
Ibom state has been taken over by witches.”
He said if at all there were witches and wizards in Uyo, they
were not up to 10, not to talk of 500 who purportedly did
the confession in a single church programme.
“I challenge all prophets and apostles to open contest
to prove if there is more than one witch in Akwa Ibom. In
the Bible we hear of the Witch of Endor; which means there
is always one witch at a time in a town; not 500.
“And how can you tell 500 people who voluntarily confessed
witchcraft to be attending your church for good or bad eight
months for them to be completely delivered. Witchcraft is
no spirit; it is a think of the flesh like drunkenness, fornication
or stealing so it doesn’t call for spiritual deliverance,”
he reasoned.
Okoriko stressed that church leaders who are benefiting from
the alleged witches were manipulating people to conference,
adding that such assumed witches are always the poor.
This thing is dragging our state backward; people have been
brainwashed to think negatively. If the suffer a slight misfortune
in their businesses instead of looking for practical solution,
the pastors will tell them that they are attacked by witches
and the person will become a slave to the pastors. It is sad.
“If this state has been taken over by witchcraft, why
can’t we use witchcraft to achieve good things; at least
win international football matches? All we need to do is put
eleven bewitched boys on the pitch and win the world cup.
These so-called men of God are hireling or spiritual mercenaries,”
he declared.
If Akwa Iboºm has only one witch or wizard, so who is
the witch of Uyo? And the 500 that paraded themselves as witches?
Okoriko says: “They are fake witches.”
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