The arrest, last Saturday, of 57-year-old Pastor Harrison Charles Anazodo of Day Spring Assembly Church, Awada, Anambra State for allegedly luring 75 married women mostly his church members to become his wives has sparked controversy among his neighbours and church members.

The Nation reports that Pastor Anazodo, whose church was incorporated in 1991, was arrested by the Oba, Idemili South sector of the state’s homeland security outfit, Agunechemba, has since been handed over to the security outfit’s state command led by Prince Ken Emeakayi, Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s Special Adviser on Security.

Among the allegations leveled against the self styled handsome pastor are wife snatching, child trafficking, wife swapping among his church members and unconventional doctrines.

Reports from victims and some residents claim that he instructed followers to dress in torn clothing or like the opposite gender while evangelizing, and claimed to be the only true saviour sent by God.

The cleric’s arrest followed a viral video of a lady who accused the pastor of luring people’s wives and converting them to his, adding that the atrocious activities had been going on for more than 10 years.

There has been public outrage since the bubble burst, with the people calling for the pastor’s prosecution and the closure of all the “quasi religious” groups in the country where fake miracles are performed.

Most of the so called churches are resident in makeshift apartments, while their overseers dress flamboyantly, riding big vehicles and the members look hungry and haggard. Many of the residents have become gullible; a situation some so-called men of God have taken advantage of.

Many of them would not mind sacrificing their businesses to patronise these enterprise in the guise of churches – all in the bid to seek solutions to their numerous challenges. Others were said to have yielded their wives in their bid to get their problems solved.

Residents of the neighbourhood where the church is located told The Nation that some of the practices that set the church apart from the rest are said to include support for polygamy and homosexuality as well as abstinence from drugs regardless of the gravity of the sickness or disease one was suffering from.

One of them, who identified himself simply as Ekene, said: “In that church, they don’t see anything wrong with polygamy because the pastor supports it. He even quotes the scripture to back it up. When they go for evangelism, men wear female wears while women wear clothes meant for men.

“Every Sunday, they observe vigil that starts from 7pm and ends at 5am. But at exactly 12 midnight, all the lights go out and one wonders what transpires within the period.

“Some members of his church accused him of forcing them to swap wives and also taking church members’ wives for himself.

Initially, he had 45 wives with many children who attend a school built by him, with qualified teachers. The school has both primary and secondary levels. Each of the wives has businesses which he set up for them.

“How he takes these women from their husbands is like a mystery. When the men ask why he took their wives, he simply tells them they are taken from his ribs.”

But a lady member of the church, who did not want to be quoted, described Pastor Charles as a true man of God, saying that those against him were jealous of his success.

The young lady in her late 30s asked: “If he is doing all the things leveled against him, why has he not come to me? He married that number of women because he has enough money to maintain them.

“How many churches in this state have the kind of edifice that houses Dayspring Assembly Church?

“The lady who went viral with her post did it for a purpose. She too should be investigated.

“There are people who like tarnishing the image of others unnecessarily, and I believe the lady must have one or two scores to settle with the man of God.

“Some of us know he will be back. But when? That is the issue. Soludo and his goons should face their front and allow the anointed man of God to breathe,” the young lady stated.

Mr Kingsley Ugonna, an Omaba resident in Onitsha, said: “We support what the governor is doing. But the investigation has to be thorough. Let it not be a political witch hunt.

He said: “We know there are many fake men of God in the society, but there are some genuine ones too.

“My beef with Harrison Anazodo is that some people have been complaining about how he goes after married women, especially those who worship in his church.

“A man of God is not supposed to live like that.

“My friend’s wife is involved in this atrocity and my friend warned the wife then.

“But you know women and their stubbornness. She continued with that ‘our daddy ‘ phrase until she left my friend finally.

“My friend sees it as something that is not ordinary.”

Also, 48 year old Nkoli (surname withheld) said: “That pastor is evil. Since the bubble burst last week, my childhood friend who married a rich man has been sending emissaries to beg her husband she abandoned eight years ago. Who does that? She is ashamed of herself. The husband has moved on since then.

“Some of these pastors visit babalawo (herbalists) to acquire power. For me, any day I leave my Roman Catholic church, that is the end with Christianity, and I know it won’t happen.”

A resident of Awada and 51-year-old trader at Ochanja Market in the area, who pleaded anonymity, told The Nation that what they do at the place is not true worship.

The resident said: “I live in that street. The way they close the so called worship center shows that what goes on there is abnormal. The way the members dress is quite different from others.

"The women were living in bondage. Nobody discusses about the pastor. They see him as God. At times, they share food at night before doing those immoral things. The situation was that bad. Who would dare talk?”

Yet another resident who preferred anonymity narrated how a report by one of the journalists based in the state in 2011, as well as several others from human rights activists exposed some of his secrets, leading to the demolition of his church then. But not too long after, he bounced back, and rebranded the church with a new name.

The Nation however gathered that the last straw that broke the camel’s back was linked to the death of one of his members said to be wealthy.

According to the source, the deceased, who was attending the church without members of his family, including the wife, had willed his entire property to the pastor, unknown to the wife.

“Shortly after the man’s demise, the pastor came and took possession of all the property of the wife, claiming that the man willed the property to him before he died.

“This move, of course, did not go down well with both the wife’s family members and those of her in-laws who jointly made efforts to stop the move, including reporting the case to security operatives, leading to his eventual arrest.

The pastor’s arrest was posted on Facebook by the Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Media, Dr Ejimofor Opara, who is also the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

Opara made it known that the suspect’s arrest followed alleged snatching of up to 75 married women from their husbands.

He said a joint investigation between the State Police Command and government had commenced, calling on anyone with information on the pastor’s activities to report to the state government.

“During his arrest, about 11 babies were found in his home.

“He claims to be the father of these 11 babies, maintaining that they are from 11 of his wives. He also claims he does not know the number of wives he married or the total number of children he has.”

Speaking with The Nation further, Media and Publicity Secretary of the state security outfit, Agunechemba, Comrade Nweke Nweke, said the suspect was in their custody, adding that investigation was ongoing.

He promised to issue press statement about their findings at the end of the investigation.

Nweke said: “Pastor Harrison Charles was arrested based on allegations leveled against him by members of the public.

“Currently, the matter is under investigation. At the end of the investigation, I’ll issue a press statement about our findings.

“I want to assure members of the public that at the conclusion of the investigation, we’ll reach the public through the media space.”

The Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, Tochukwu Ikenga, a Superintendent of Police, declined to speak on the issue.

Another senior police officer told The Nation that the pastor was not in their custody but was rather being held by Agunechemba.

Meanwhile, state government has appealed to both citizens and residents to provide it with credible information that would lead to the arrest of more fake pastors and other individuals masquerading as genuine men and women of God while engaging in criminal practices.

The government vowed to take the fight to the doorsteps of both fake native doctors and pastors as part of its efforts to rid the state of all forms of criminality in both traditional and religious worship.

Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr. Law Mefor, had in a statement assured that all information provided would be treated with absolute confidentiality.

According to him, “the government is calling on Nd? Anambra and all residents of the state with credible information on pastors, churches or so-called “men of God” involved in criminality, extortion, fraud, deception or any act that endangers lives and peace of our communities or misleads the people in the state to please speak up.

“This is part of the efforts of the Solution Government to rid the state of all forms of criminality and sanitise both traditional worship and religious practices in order to restore sanity, law and order in the state” Mefor said

Several persons suspected to be fake native doctors and pastors are currently cooling off in Correctional facilities in the state while others are facing tough times over prosecution for various offences.

Eight pastors were recently arraigned before a High Court over alleged violations of the state’s Homeland Security Law, 2025.

The Anambra state governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo is not smiling. Some residents have given him “Obiakpo” as an alias (meaning -hard man), especially, the opposition

What made Pastor Harrison Anazodo’s case different from others is the number of concubines he has and his way of worship.

Already, eight others are still being held and facing court actions. The raid is still ongoing, others are likely to follow suit soon.

Despite all the name callings, Soludo has vowed to make the state a place to be proud of by the children yet unborn.

“I want to make Anambra a livable environment where people will be happy and live like human beings and not like animals,” he said. (The Nation)