The Kogi state government has ordered the immediate closure
of a prayer house allegedly operated by unlicensed medical practitioners.
According to a statement by Onogwu Muhammed, chief press
secretary to the governor, the prayer house, named ‘The New Jerusalem’, was
sealed off on Monday over “alleged unwholesome practices”.
Muhammed said the pastor in charge of the facility is
currently under investigation, while some persons, “mainly young women who
claimed they came for prayer and had been spent months at the place, including
others mentally unstable placed under chains”, were found at the centre.
“Pastor of the church, Adeiza Peter, is being investigated
by the Police for some criminal activities ranging from fraud, use of his
prayer house for medical quackery by taking deliveries and also running
psychiatric services, even when it has been discovered he has no medical
training,” the statement reads.
“The state government
delegation comprising the commissioner for information and communication, Hon.
Kingsley Fanwo; his counterpart in health, Dr Zakari Usman; the State Security
Adviser and Navy Commander, Jerry Omodara (rtd), supervised the enforcement of
Governor Yahaya Bello’s directive.
“It was gathered that a number of deaths have been recorded
at the prayer house, including pregnant women and others suffering from various
ailments, after charging their relatives huge sum of money.
“His supposed assistant, Eneji Seidu, from Adogo, Ajaokuta
Local Government Area of Kogi State, said the Pastor, who was a musical artist
before he received a call to be a Pastor, has been his close friend, noting
that he is a true man of God who has been called to help those in need.
“He admitted that
people receive medical attention at the church, but denied knowledge of deaths
of sick people at the prayer house, saying God had used the Pastor to heal many
who comes with challenges.”
Muhammed added that Fanwo said those found at the prayer
house would be reunited with their families, just as he urged residents to
desist from patronising quacks.
According to the statement, the health commissioner said the pastor has no medical training, but was involved in “taking deliveries and transfusing blood, as well as keeping people with mental illness, and extorting money from them under the guise of spiritual materials”.
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