Across the country, a growing wave of self-styled prophets peddling false revelations is leaving behind a trail of heartbreak and ruin. In this investigation, CHIJIOKE IREMEKA exposes how spiritual manipulation, often cloaked in the guise of divine prophecy, is tearing families apart, draining victims financially, and inflicting deep emotional scars on individuals and communities alike

The family of John Aigbe was the kind neighbours admired. They were always together, laughing, playing, and ever willing to lend a helping hand.

Weekends were for shared meals after long hours of chores, while birthdays were celebrated with home-made jollof rice and laughter. To them, it was ?injury to one, injury to all.?

Things went smoothly for years until one wrong marriage, a union between their son, Aigbe, and Mercy, a woman best described as gullible and easily swayed by false prophecies, shattered the peace that had bound the family for nearly three decades.

For Aigbe, the old saying ?love is blind? came alive. His affection for his wife clouded his sense of judgement, making him carry out her every wish, even when it meant turning against his own siblings and mother.

?Mercy had been married to my son for three years without a child. Nobody troubled her because she had been a lovely lady before becoming my daughter-in-law,? said Perpetual, her 63-year-old mother-in-law.

?We gave her all the support she needed, but in her desperation, she began visiting one spiritual home after another in search of a solution to her delayed pregnancy.

?This continued until she finally went to a place where she was told that I, her mother-in-law, a widow, was responsible for her childlessness. They told her I was a witch, sacrificing the blood of my unborn grandchildren to a coven.?

Like many other women deceived by false prophecies, Mercy believed every word without question. She cut ties with the family, poisoning her husband?s mind and pitching him against his siblings.

?Today, we barely speak or spend time together like we used to,? Perpetual lamented. ?We?re now running two homes. The house that once echoed with laughter and chatter has fallen silent, all because of Mercy?s naivety.?

Journey to the rocks

Recalling how Mercy came into their once closely-knit family, Perpetual?s voice softened with a mix of nostalgia and regret. It was in late 2020, she said, when her only son, Aigbe, announced his intention to marry his long-time girlfriend, a soft-spoken hairdresser from Delta State.

?We welcomed her with open arms,? Perpetual began, her eyes distant as though replaying the scene. ?She seemed so polite and eager to please. The very first day she visited, she called me Mama and even joined me in the kitchen to cook ogbono soup that evening.? She paused, a faint, wry smile tugging at her lips, the kind that carries both fondness and pain.

?I thought to myself, Ah, this one will make a good daughter-in-law,? Perpetual recalled, her tone tinged with sorrow. ?But as time passed, she became a different person entirely, someone no one could understand. Even my son was confused, but what could he do? They were already married.?

Not long after, whether by Mercy?s insistence or Aigbe?s decision, the young couple moved out of the family home in Kilo to a modest rented apartment in Aguda, Surulere, just a few kilometres away.

?For the first few months, things were still fine,? Perpetual continued. ?Mercy would come around often, joining us for family prayers and Sunday meals. But gradually, her visits became fewer until she stopped coming altogether. Then God blessed her with a pregnancy, only for her to lose it two months later. That was the beginning of our troubles.?

Mercy?s grief soon turned into suspicion, and her desperate search for answers took on a spiritual dimension.

?She started moving from one church to another, one prophet?s house to the next,? Perpetual said. ?Someone would tell her, ?There?s a powerful prophet in Oshodi,? and she would go. Another one in Agege, she would rush there too. Sometimes, she wouldn?t even wait for us after service; she would disappear.?

Eventually, Mercy returned home one evening, her face drawn and her eyes wild with fear. She claimed that a prophet had revealed that her mother-in-law was a witch who ?ate her babies in the womb.?

?Mercy said the prophet saw a vision where I appeared in her dreams each time she got pregnant and took the child away,? Perpetual said bitterly. ?At first, my son dismissed it as nonsense, but Mercy kept repeating it, over and over, until, to my greatest pain, he began to believe her.?

?With time, Aigbe started isolating himself from us. I cried because I saw what was coming. I?ve seen this happen in many families, and I didn?t want mine to go the same way, not after my husband?s death. The love and unity we had were crumbling. My son assured me he wouldn?t let that happen, but everything changed.?

As Mercy?s influence over her husband deepened, family gatherings became tense. She accused her mother-in-law of giving her ?evil looks? and speaking in ?coded words.? Relatives and kinsmen tried to intervene, but nothing worked.

Even when doctors later diagnosed Mercy with a hormonal imbalance and prescribed treatment, she rejected it, insisting the prophet?s claims explained everything.

?Eventually, my son stopped visiting,? Perpetual said. ?It became a once-in-a-while visit, either for peace?s sake or because he believed the lies. My daughter-in-law?s false allegations shattered our family and broke my heart. But I still believe that one day, God will open his eyes and bring my son back.?

Her story mirrors that of another family torn apart by suspicion and prophecy.

I didn?t abandon mama

Reacting to Mama?s claim that he abandoned her, Aigbe told Saturday PUNCH that he didn?t leave his mother because of his wife but took a step he believed would douse the tension in the house due to the prophecy.

He said, ?As a result of this issue, my wife started suspecting everyone, and it has been from one quarrel to another. She wanted us to leave the family house so that she would have her privacy, which I considered normal because I was already thinking in that direction since we were newly married.

?At least, we needed some privacy. As it were, my wife and my mother aren?t the best of friends again as they used to. I tried to mediate, but it wasn?t working. So, the only way I could reduce this friction was by moving out. I pray God answers our prayers so that she would see the reason to be friendly again.

?Of course, because I have found another place, I don?t go to the family house often, but I still call Mama and my siblings on the phone. I still send them money. I believe the cause of the regular tension was that they were in the same space, and I needed to take my wife out of that space.?

He said that doesn?t mean his wife is entirely at fault, but he needed to take that step to reduce the friction.

?I also understand my wife?s predicament because when a woman gets married, the next thing on her mind is pregnancy and children. Where pregnancy doesn?t happen, women are never happy no matter how they pretend to be. They do all manner of things to get pregnant, and by so doing, they become vulnerable.

?Any stupid person can deceive them at this point because they are already vulnerable. So, I will tell you that it was my wife?s vulnerability that those prophets capitalised on and trying to destroy our family. I just wanted to take my wife and I, away for peace. My mother is not abandoned, but she still expects me to be around every day, which is no longer feasible. Everything will be fine again; my intentions were only misinterpreted,? he added.

Stepbrother nearly killed over wife, child?s mysterious deaths

A 54-year-old engineer, James Mbonu, nearly killed his younger stepbrother after the sudden deaths of his newlywed wife and newborn child.

What began as a tragedy in 2003 at a private hospital owned by his employer?s brother soon unravelled into a nightmare of grief, suspicion, and prophecy-fuelled vengeance that tore a once-peaceful family apart.

According to the deceased?s sister, Mrs Blessing Joe, the pregnancy had gone past its due date before she was admitted to the hospital. ?We were told that the baby was tied with cords in the womb and that she needed prayers. After much persuasion, she agreed to a Caesarean section, but instead of surgery, the doctor kept inducing labour until the baby died,? she said. Joe alleged that the doctor delayed the surgery that could have saved both lives. By the time it was finally performed, mother and child were gone. What followed was a flood of rumours and ?prophecies? that accused nearly everyone connected to the hospital ? the doctor, Mbonu?s employer, his stepmother, and even his stepbrother ? of belonging to a cult that demanded the blood of his wife and child.

The whispers consumed Mbonu. Blinded by grief and rage, he turned on his stepbrother, whom he accused of complicity in the deaths. In a fit of fury, he beat the young man mercilessly and locked him in the boot of his car, threatening to kill him before villagers intervened. His stepmother fled with the boy for safety, and from that day, the family bond was broken beyond repair.

Haunted by guilt, Mbonu resigned from his job, sold his company car, and publicly accused his employer of ritual murder ? a claim that led to his arrest and a defamation threat before community elders stepped in.

What began as a case of alleged medical negligence mutated into a dark spiral of fear, superstition, and false prophecy. More than two decades later, the wounds remain open, the trust never restored.

I would have acted differently

When Saturday PUNCH contacted Mbonu to react to his late wife?s sister story, he confirmed the situation and said it was an incident he had been trying to put behind him.

He recalled, ?It was a sad story that I am trying to put behind me. It was really a torturous moment for me. Yes, maybe I would have reacted differently if it were now. Then, I wasn?t born again, so I didn?t have such emotion to control my anger then.

?I thank God that I didn?t kill my younger stepbrother in a rage of anger. I thank God that they took him away and hid him from me. Of course, you can imagine a newly married man whose wife was pregnant and expecting his baby.

?I had bought the baby things and dedicated one for the baby and the mother. I was anxious and eagerly waiting for my son, and all of a sudden, they started saying a different thing. While my wife was alive, there was a place she used to attend for prayers, and they warned o avoid my stepbrother and certain persons whom I wouldn?t mention here, but I disregarded the prophecy until she died.?

According to him, at a point, the boy who was supposed to be avoided started living with them, an idea his wife never liked, but he was being a man and wouldn?t want a woman to separate his family. It ended in tragedy.

?As for the hospital, I didn?t know what to say, but what I couldn?t understand was why the doctor didn?t operate on her when the baby died in the womb, and save my wife; rather, he was inducing her until it was too late. That day she died, I almost died too because of what they put me through.

?There was a particular injection they asked me to go and buy kilometers away, and I was driving as if I was speeding to end my life just to save my wife. But that same injection was given to her, and she convulsed and died. Hmmm, it was sad. I went off the radar.?

According to him, after their deaths, prophecies started coming in from all corners, including his sisters who are born again. He didn?t know much about it because he was a nominal Christian.

?But for me, I attended my Anglican church, but her death turned things around for me and my family. In fact, I would liken my late wife to a martyr. It was after her death and the stories around it that I started attending a Pentecostal church. My father, who had a shrine in front of his house, abandoned it and became born again. I resigned from my job and went into private practice after years of torture,? he added.

?Prophetess destroyed my marriage?

For 36-year-old Joyce Adejobi, marriage was meant to be a lifelong bond built on love, prayer, and faith. But within three years, her once-happy home lay in ruins, wrecked by lies, fear, and the manipulations of a self-acclaimed prophetess who claimed to speak for God.

Joyce met her husband, Segun Adejobi, in 2018 at a Pentecostal church in Lagos. They fell in love, convinced that their union was divinely ordained. ?We prayed together, fasted together, and believed that God brought us together for a purpose,? Joyce recalled.

But when Segun?s business began to struggle, everything changed. ?He started attending special prayer sessions organised by a popular prophetess in our area,? she said.

The prophetess, Joyce recounted, told Segun that she was a spiritual wife sent to destroy his destiny.

?She said I was the reason his business was collapsing and that I had tied his progress spiritually. To my shock, Segun believed her.?

Soon, her loving husband became cold and suspicious. He began to record her movements, check her phone, and accuse her of witchcraft. The prophetess allegedly demanded large sums of money for ?deliverance sessions? and even instructed Segun not to eat any meal Joyce prepared until the spiritual cleansing was over.

?At first, I laughed it off, thinking it was a joke,? she said quietly. ?But it got worse. Every decision he made had to be confirmed by the prophetess. My home turned into a battlefield.?

The humiliation deepened when she was dragged to public deliverance sessions. ?They called me a serpent and forced me to confess to things I never did, and my husband stood there watching. I endured it all, hoping it would save our marriage, but it only destroyed me more.?

Segun began staying out late, sometimes disappearing for days. When Joyce sought help from his family, they took his side. ?I tried everything; prayer, counselling, our old pastor, but he refused. One day, he just said we were never meant to be,? she said, her voice breaking.

Emotionally shattered, Joyce said she found strength only in prayer. ?I couldn?t even tell my parents. I just kept believing that one day he would see through the lies and return home.?

CAN?s stance against heretical preachers

DiIn the wake of these happenings, the National Director, National Issues and Social Welfare of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Abimbola Ayuba, cautioned Christians to be wary of heretical preachers who exploit the vulnerable with false revelations and manipulative prophecies.

Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, he condemned self-styled prophets who mislead followers under the guise of divine insight.

?These are the kinds of people the government should penalise for misguiding and misinforming the public. The pastor should be ?raptured? into detention,? he said wryly.

He lamented that despite countless failed predictions, including the recent rapture prophecy by a South African preacher, Joshua Mhlakela, many Nigerians still fall prey to such deception.

?Freedom of religion, freedom of worship, and freedom of speech should all have limits, especially when they are used to mislead innocent people,? Ayuba warned, urging both the church and government to step up efforts to protect the faithful from manipulation.

The Lagos State Chairman of CAN, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, also denounced Mhlakela?s doomsday prophecy, describing it as misleading and unbiblical.

?We?ve been hearing such claims since we were born, and those calling themselves pastors in this manner are fake,? he said. ?The Bible clearly says, ?Woe unto him who says, thus says the Lord, when the Lord has not spoken.?

?We don?t know where they get their so-called revelations from, perhaps from the stars. They are more like astronomers than pastors. The Bible makes it clear that no one knows the hour or season of the Lord?s return; it will come like a thief in the night. For anyone to give a specific date for the rapture is pure falsehood and should never be taken seriously by any true believer.?

Call for church-govt collaboration

A recent study titled, ?Analysis of the proliferation of prophecy and fake prophets in Southwestern Nigeria: Implications and policy? has urged collaboration between church leaders and government agencies to curb the rising influence of false prophets.

The report called for awareness campaigns to educate Nigerians on distinguishing genuine divine messages, one of Christianity?s pillars, from politically motivated or manipulative prophecies, especially during elections and New Year periods.

It also advised bodies such as CAN and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria to develop ethical guidelines for prophecies touching on national and social issues.

?Christian leaders should avoid partisan politics and prioritise unity, peace, and the moral health of society,? the study stated. ?Workshops on religious ethics and the dangers of politicising faith would help reduce the harmful effects of false prophecies.?

?Fake prophecies feed on believers? ignorance?

The General Overseer of Vision of God Bible Church, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos, Rev Victor Okafor, blamed the spread of false prophecies on the ignorance of many believers.

Quoting from the Bible, he said, ?My people perish for lack of knowledge.?

He stressed that when Christians neglect Bible study and personal relationship with God, they become easy prey for deceivers.

The cleric added, ?When you are grounded in the Word of God, you will not be swayed by every wave of prophecy. Christianity is a faith of peace and love. Anyone who tells you to hate your mother or harm a loved one in the name of prophecy is not speaking from God.

?True prophecy never contradicts the Word of God; it must align with it. Prophecy is meant to edify the body of Christ, not tear it down. Any message that stirs hatred, fear, or division is false and should be rejected.?

Okafor urged Christians to study the Bible diligently and test every spirit to ascertain its authenticity.

?That is the only way to avoid falling prey to the marauding end-time fakers parading as prophets,? he noted. (PUNCH)

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