Pastor Samuel Chinedu Uzor, an indigene of Ihitte Uboma LGA of Imo State who is also the General Overseer of “Jesus for all revival outreach initially located within the premises of Development Secondary School, near Ama Hausa Quarters, along Douglas Road, in Owerri municipal council, has been accused by his wife, of using their 12 year old son, named Caleb for rituals while the embattled pastor, claims the boy died during immersion baptism.
The Pastor’s wife, Mrs Joy Chinyere Uzor, while narrating her ordeal to our reporter, at the banks of the river, in Umuoma Nekede, where Caleb, allegedly drowned, said she suddenly started having issues with her husband, on realizing that he was having an affair with one Prophetess (name withheld), who also owns a church at Nekede, in Owerri West LGA also in Imo State.
Continuing, she said, “my husband became unusually very aggressive, beat and physically assaulted me constantly, until, he eventually ordered me out of the matrimonial home on the 25th of August 2017. He gave me five hundred naira as transport fare”. Aside, insisting that I should leave my children with him, he barred me from seeing or having access to them. I left his house, just to save my life which, from all indications, meant nothing to him at that time. On each of the occasions I visited my children with clothes and other presents, he prevented my children from accepting them from me.
I also noticed that the self acclaimed prophetess had become so intimate with my husband, prompting him to abandon his own church and partner with the prophetess in running her church”.
The mother of six, said she was surprised when her estranged husband informed her on phone, on Saturday 14th October, 2017 that their 12 year old son, whom he took to the stream, for immersion baptism drowned there. I was devastated and rushed down there without delay. On reaching there, I met my husband at the bank of the stream. As the divers were searching for my son’s body, the prophetess came and took him away from the scene, saying, “there is no need for you to stay here the boy is already dead and there is nothing we can do about it. And my husband simply walked away with her”. She claimed to have remained there till about 9:00pm that day when some good Samaritans took her to a place she passed the night and came back to the stream very early on Sunday morning and was there, until my son’s body was seen floating on the surface of the river, on Sunday 15th October 2017.
She expressed disgust at the attitude of her husband who immediately took their son’s corpse straight to his village for burial, after lying and deceiving his people that Caleb drowned in the river, while playing with other children. “Why did he not tell them that he took our son to the river where he drowned and also tell them if a 12 year old boy was old enough for immersion baptism? I am so worried about the safety of my five other children in Pastor Uzor’s custody as I do not know what he and his prophetess lover and business partner will be up to next.
Mrs. Chinyere Uzor, further disclosed that she has petitioned the Imo State Commissioner of Police. According to her, the petition dated 18th October 2017 and captioned “fake prophetess/ritualism involving mummy Ijeoma and Rev. Samuel Uzor”, reads in part, “with profound humility, I write to inform you of the activities of Samuel Uzor and prophetess, who, on Saturday 14th October 2017, took the 12 year old son, Caleb to the stream for undisclosed reasons, only to come back and tell me that my son drowned in the river”. She called on the police to arrest the suspects and bring them to book.
Most people who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity, said, “It is obvious that the pastor and his prophetess mistress are being economical with the truth. They wondered what a 12 year old boy who is still a minor has to do with immersion baptism which is for adults, who are old enough to decide and take responsibility for their actions. “They should think of a better story to tell and we expect the police to carry out through investigation”. When contacted, Mr. Samuel Uzor said he is not disposed to take any question on the issue but acknowledged that the late Caleb is his son.
Meanwhile, as at the time of filling this report, it was not yet clear if the police has made any arrests in respect of the incident, which is said to be causing ripples.
