AN ordained reverend and senior member of a church in Calabar, Cross-River State, who reported his ex-lover who is a single mother to a deity in Akwa–Ibom State for allegedly rebuffing his marriage proposal, causing the deity to summon the woman with a colony of millipedes, is on the run after receiving a dose of his own medicine.
After separately appearing before the deity with the ex-lover on the first hearing, the reverend, who denied lodging a complaint against the single mother, turned down appearances at the second and third hearings of his case by the deity.
The deity sent a colony of millipedes to his Calabar home on Tuesday night with a thunder strike and letter, in the same manner, he caused the idol to send to his ex-lover and student of the University of Calabar.
Findings by Saturday Vanguard showed the reverend ran away from the deity but is still in Calabar.
A source said: “He is sober, hanging out at a joint where they sell concoctions and hot drinks inside an open field next to his building on Edim Otop Street. I think friends, who have now abandoned him to his fate, misled him.”
A youth leader, who pleaded anonymity, said: “Margaret, and the man had a rift after the reverend allegedly saw her with another man, which made him furious. Instead of apologizing and retracing her steps, she resorted to insulting her ‘benefactor’ anytime she sees him.
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“She is a single mother whom the man took care of, including her child, but we believe the man needed companionship since his wife had allegedly left him, but the way we learned she abused the man publicly was quite unfair, she could have sorted out things amicably.
“We deduced from the letter that came with the colony of millipedes that the lady had issues with her lover, a community leader popularly known as reverend, who stays around Edim Otop Street, off Atimbo Road.
“ We also heard he has been in a relationship with the lady who we know as Margaret and who we believe he has been taking care of for over a decade in terms of welfare, education, and otherwise.
“He took her as a help before now and started doing other things for her, we learned he allegedly bought land for her and also made sure they catered for her mum when she had arthritis and needed a massage. The reverend provided a machine.
“He further facilitated a sewing machine and other things for her, but what we saw in the letter was that they summoned her on October 18. However, the message got here on October 19 and she is supposed to appear before the deity in Umuko, Okobo, Oron in Akwa Ibom state to answer for herself by October 21, 2022.
“From the letter, they requested her to return a set of foreign pots that the reverend said was missing from his apartment, massaging machine, and other things.
“It was not the first time we have experienced this kind of summons with millipedes from Okobo in Oron Akwa Ibom state.
Contacted, Reverend Timothy (not real name), who is a reverend at a church along Atimbo Road denied being responsible for the woman’s ordeal.
He confirmed to Saturday Vanguard that he knows the girl and had some issues with her over some set of pots and a sewing machine, but was never behind her travails, adding that as an ordained minister, he can never consult a native/witch doctor.
The preacher also said he knew nothing about the colony of millipedes sent to the girl’s apartment.
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He, however, admitted that the woman insulted him when they had issues and he told some people in the church about what had happened, saying he left everything in the hands of God and the news of the invasion of the woman’s pavement by millipedes dismayed him.
“She insulted me because I complained that a lot of things were missing from my place which I asked her about and she said she knew nothing about, sets of pots from abroad, a sewing machine amongst others.
“But I must tell you categorically that I have nothing, absolutely nothing to do with her ordeal, I consulted no witch doctor to send millipede to her place,” he stated.
The single mother went to Okobo in Akwa Ibom, on the penultimate Friday, to answer the summons by the deity.
The 300- level student of the University of Calabar, UNICAL, simply identified as Margaret, who spoke to Saturday Vanguard, revealed that she met her benefactor, who later turned lover and now her ex-lover in 2010 when she was pregnant with her daughter, on her way to see her mother in Akpabuyo local government area.
“I was pregnant at the time and I was only 19 years, I did not even know I was pregnant, so I took some herbs because I was feeling somehow, even at that I still did not get better. That was the reason I opted to visit my mum, it was how I met the reverend.
“I was trying to get a vehicle to Akpabuyo, along Atimbo Road, and jam-packed vehicles would not just stop to pick up a passenger, but when he was passing, he saw me and asked where I was going. He obliged me and took me to my destination, that is how he got my number and the rest is history.
“He has married three women and had three children from them, but none of them could stay, they all left, I came into the picture as a help. I cook, clean, and take care of the house.
“It metamorphosed into an intimate relationship because we started an affair, but we had an understanding that he would take care of me. We agreed that anytime he got money, he would settle me with money or land.
“I am still young and in the University, how do I take care of my bills and all that, I told myself I had to leave the relationship because of all the understanding we had, he never kept to any.
“I learned he got paid about N4 million as gratuity. When I told him to fulfill his side of the bargain, he got mad at me, I allowed him to be.
“The highest I was getting was N10, 000 or N5, 000, he has never at any point paid my school fees, and I am the one training myself in school. I want to get married, but not to him, I will marry someone that will make me happy. I got nothing from him as he has been lying to people,” she said.
“At the Okobo shrine, I paid N21, 500 as a consultation fee. Since I started going there, I have spent N282, 000 so far. There, I found out that he lied to the chief priest and allegedly paid N300, 000 for something mysterious to happen to me.
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“He also lied to the chief priest of the deity in Okobo, Oron, Akwa Ibom state, that I stole his set of the pot and massaging machine and I should return them.
“I was told by the chief priest that he paid money for me to be eliminated spiritually, he paid 100, 000 three times.
“But the chief priest refused to do his bidding. It was after he started mounting so much pressure that the priest had collected so much from him and refused to do anything that they sent millipedes to summon me to the shrine of that deity.
“In the letter, they asked me to appear before the deity on October 21, and if I liked I should report to Army, Police, or any authority, that it has no meaning. I had no choice, I went there, and paid N21, 500 as a consultation fee.
“That was when they started asking me questions about the man; they asked if I knew the reverend, and my answer was affirmative. The man who is denying that he was not behind my ordeal was also at the shrine.
“The chief priest asked him why he held me down for 12 years, but he never responded. I remember that when we first met, he bought beverages he gave to me; I suppose that whatever he did was through those items because it was as if they took a veil off my face.
“I have been going to sleep there and coming back in the morning for about seven years because I do not live with him. I, not he, paid for the house where they sent the millipedes. He rented no house for me, the only thing he did was assist me when I was searching for an apartment.
“They asked me to pay N300, 000 and that after the matter, they would compel him to return the money to me if I am found innocent.
“Now, that we have gone to the deity, I have been able to pay N200, 000, including other expenses, amounting to N282, 000.
“I borrowed the N200, 000, and as I speak, I could not pay my school fees, I have been to the place (deity) twice and saw him there too.
“They asked him to come the last time I was there, but he never showed up, I left the place at about 8-00 pm, last Friday, back to Calabar.
“I sold my sewing machine for N40, 000 just to support the bills paid at the shrine, the car people are saying he bought for me is my mother’s car, my mum is a businesswoman, she owns a shop at Watt Market, and he did not buy any car for me. The Toyota Camry belongs to my mum, I withdrew money from her account as she instructed and paid for the car, it is not mine either.
“They have asked him to come back to the shrine, and I heard that he and the chief priest are currently having a rift over his non-appearance.
“I believe God wants to use my situation to expose the man who claims to be man of God
. As we speak, the things he claimed I took from him like chair, I took them to the shrine and I owe him absolutely nothing.
“When those millipedes appeared at my apartment, he was the first person I called, and I told him about it, his response was ‘that is the response to the message you sent to me.’
“I did not understand it until I read the letter, although it contained no name, I could relate when I read massaging machine, I immediately knew it was from him.
“I am trying to put all that behind me because I am writing my examination, I hope to get my money back because I did him no wrong, Instead, it is the other way round, he wanted to destroy me spiritually, but my God said no,” Margaret said.
On Wednesday morning, there was mild drama at Edim Otop Street residence of the pastor in the Calabar Municipality local government area, following the mysterious appearance of a colony of millipedes.
The unpleasant incident, Saturday Vanguard gathered, was another command from the deity in Okobo, Oron, Akwa Ibom state, to the reverend behind the first summons on his ex-lover for reneging on her purported marriage promise.
According to eyewitnesses, the colony of millipedes mysteriously appeared with thunder stroke during the light showers, yesterday (Tuesday) evening.
The single mother had responded to the summon by the deity at Okobo in Akwa Ibom to clear herself, but the petitioner refused to appear on the second hearing at the shrine.
A resident, who identified herself as Mrs. Felicia, simply said the deity summoned him to come and narrate his side of the story.
“We saw him yesterday (Tuesday), but nobody has seen him this morning (Wednesday), so we do not know his whereabouts.
“The millipedes appeared with a letter when thunder struck, while it rained that evening.
“I heard they asked him to come and clarify something at the shrine, it is like he was being adamant, so they had to summon him traditionally,” Felicia said.
Saturday Vanguard learned that the deity commanded the reverend to appear before it on October 2 and the single mother also traveled, the same day, to honor her own invitation. Both are likely to meet again at the shrine, like in the first hearing, to shed more light on their dealings.
Shop owners near the residence of the reverend shut down their shops on Wednesday for fear of the millipedes invading their shops, while passersby thronged his home to know the development.
Margaret, who responded to a fresh inquiry by Saturday Vanguard after her third visit to the shrine, Wednesday, at Okobo, Akwa Ibom, appealed to the preacher to man up, and appear before the deity in order for her to recover the money she has so far spent.
“I have been to the shrine three times and would go back there again on Friday (yesterday), making it my fourth visit.
“I want to use this medium to appeal to him to please come and clear himself so that they can return my money because I was told that if they find me innocent, they would return the money I paid there.
“He has failed to appear there twice, he only came on the first day I went, which was on October 21. Since then, he has not come back to the place again, and I believe that was the reason the chief priest also summoned him to appear.
“When I got to the shrine, they asked me to pay another N6, 000, and they gave me some items to sprinkle at my apartment so that other millipedes at my apartment will leave, many of them have crept into hidden places.
“They gave me something to sweep the dead millipedes into a bag and discard, and they told me I am not completely free until the man comes to clear his side. I learned he is to pay about N1 million, from this amount, they will cleanse him and my money returned if I am not found guilty.
“My worry now is that I borrowed N200, 000 to make up the payment, he should please return the money, so I can repay my debt. My mother is worried and sick because she is not feeling so fine, and I need to concentrate on my studies,” she lamented.
According to the UNICAL student, all the allegations leveled against her were false and she had returned the chair and massaging machine the reverend complained about to the shrine, but he has to visit the deity to collect them.
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