Connect with us

Religion

UMC Nigeria will resist attempts to erase its legacy – Bishop

Published

on

The leadership of the United Methodist Church, UMC, in Nigeria has called on the international Christian community and other stakeholders to intervene in the ongoing fracas between them and the breakaway faction of the church, the Global Methodist Church, GMC.

Reacting to the recent attack on the Bamyam Theological Seminary in Bambur, Karim-Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State, UMC emphasized the need for justice, hence the urgent call for the international Christian community to wade in.

In a statement signed and made available to journalists in Jalingo on Wednesday by the church’s bishop, Ande I. Emmanuel, UMC in Nigeria vowed to resist any efforts to erase its presence from the country.

The church also criticized the breakaway faction, which, according to them, is vehemently working around the clock to seize UMC properties despite having already separated from the denomination.

“UMC leaders characterized these actions as being driven by greed, division, and lawlessness rather than a genuine theological divergence,” Emmanuel said.

Describing the attack—which they said involved the vandalization of UMC landmarks, signposts, and logos at the seminary chapel—as an attempt to erase the church’s identity and heritage, they vowed to protect the legacy of the church in Nigeria.

“We will not allow the legacy of the United Methodist Church in Nigeria to be destroyed by those who seek to rewrite history through violence,” the statement read.

Linking the incident to a series of violent acts allegedly orchestrated by the GMC, they cited the “illegal occupation of UMC properties, the December 15th killing of 27-year-old Masoyi and two infants in Munga Dosso, and the burning of a UMC worship center in Keru, Benue District.”

The statement also accused the GMC of carrying out a coordinated campaign of intimidation, violence, and forceful takeover of UMC properties in Nigeria.

Church officials expressed frustration over the alleged lack of response from GMC bishops Scott Jones and John Peña, despite repeated attempts to initiate dialogue and prevent further violence. “Their silence is not just negligence; it signals complicity,” the statement read.

UMC leaders alleged that the GMC is using threats and violence to pressure United Methodist members into joining their denomination rather than engaging in peaceful discourse.

“Despite the attacks, we urge our members to remain calm and not be intimidated. Our faith is built on truth and justice, not on fear or force,” the church stated, vowing to resist any attempt to erase its presence in Nigeria.

At the time of filing this report, the GMC had yet to issue a statement on the crisis, which our reporter learned occurred on Monday.

Religion

Kwara killings: Nnamdi Kanu jailed for warning against Jihadist incursion into Southern Nigeria – Igbo clerics

Published

on

An association of Igbo clergymen, Concerned Igbo Ministers’ Commission, has reacted to the recent killings in Kwara State, saying leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, was jailed for warning against ‘Jihadist incursion’ into Nigeria’s southern territories.

Over a hundred deaths have been recorded in the attacks on communities in Kwara, believed to have been carried out by Islamist extremists.

In a statement on Friday, President of the Concerned Igbo Ministers’ Commission, Rev. Tony Uzor, expressed regrets that Kanu’s warning about the spread of extremism in the country, particularly into the South, was ignored.

Uzor expressed disappointment that rather than act on Kanu’s warning, Nigerian authorities threw him into jail.

The clergyman faulted the government for going after Kanu, who he said was only armed with microphone, while pampering insurgents and bandits responsible for killing thousands of Nigerians.

According to Uzor, for the Nigerian government, “words are treated as deadlier than weapons, and warnings are punished more harshly than mass murder”.

The Concerned Igbo Ministers’ Commission added that Kanu was arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned because his broadcasts unsettled the status quo that favours the caliphate.

Faulting Kanu’s conviction, the cleric added, “A man who spoke — who warned, provoked, irritated, unsettled — was caged as though he had spilled blood. Meanwhile, blood was actually spilled elsewhere, in industrial quantities, and the nation barely blinked.

“Justice James Omotosho, presiding over the Federal High Court in Abuja, sentenced Nnamdi Kanu to life imprisonment in November 2025 for terrorism charges — inciting violence through his broadcasts and calls for Biafran independence. Kanu, the very man who had long warned of this exact impending doom in Yorubaland: the spread of religious extremism, the unchecked jihadist incursions into Southern territories, the failure to protect communities from the reach of these terrorists. He was convicted not for wielding weapons, but for wielding words that unsettled the status quo.

“Justice Omotosho handed down concurrent life terms, ensuring Kanu rots in isolation at Sokoto Correctional Centre of all places, the seat of the caliphate itself. All while the real killers in Kwara — and countless other places — evade the same zealous pursuit.

“It is apparently safer to wield an AK-47 assault rifle than a microphone — provided the AK-47 aligns with the unspoken hierarchies of power.”

The Igbo clergymen further expressed concern that hundreds can be killed in rural Nigeria by armed groups whose methods and ideology are well known, without any serious response from the government.

The clerics said the Nigerian government has not displayed the same zeal it deployed in going after Kanu and IPOB in efforts to stop killings by Jihadists and Islamic extremists.

The statement added, “The dead are absorbed into statistics and forgotten.
Take Kwara State, where just this week, Islamic terrorists slaughtered at least 170 people in the villages of Woro and Nuku just as Nnamdi Kanu predicted many years back. Gunmen stormed in, executing residents at close range — many bound and shot, others burned alive — for refusing to submit to extremist Sharia rule. Homes razed, shops looted, families shattered. The attackers, linked to genuine terrorist groups from Northern Nigeria and not proscribed, left a trail of mass graves and missing loved ones.

“President Tinubu deployed troops after the fact, blaming jihadists, but where was the same preemptive fury that accompanied Monday sit-at-home civil disobedience?

“But let one man (Nnamdi Kanu) speak inconvenient truths, invoke history, or challenge the emotional comfort of the state, and the system awakens with ferocity tagging him terrorist when he has not killed anyone. Those who kill are managed. Those who speak are crushed.”

The Concerned Igbo Ministers’ Commission accused the Nigerian government of jailing the country’s “prophets” while protecting killers.

According to the group, the government has shown that it is determined to ensure that Nigeria remains one at all cost.

“The stability of the murderous state matters more than the sanctity of life. Preventing uncomfortable ideas is more urgent than preventing funerals.
Silence in the face of killings is preferable to noise in the face of injustice.

“Because a society confident in its moral foundations does not jail prophets and tolerate killers. It does not obsess over speech while normalizing graves,” the statement added.

Continue Reading

Religion

Gospel Legend Ron Kenoly Is Dead

Published

on

 

Legendary gospel singer Ron Kenoly has passed away.

His death was confirmed on Monday, February 3, 2026, with tributes pouring in from gospel artistes across the world. He was 81 years old.

Continue Reading

Religion

“Based On Medical Facts, I Don’t Believe This Is A Miracle” – Medical Doctor Reacts To Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s Miracle Video (Watch)

Published

on

A Nigerian medical doctor, Dr Sina, has publicly reacted to a viral miracle video involving Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, stating that based on medical facts, he does not believe the incident qualifies as a miracle.

A video of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome healing some people who were reportedly unable to walk had initially made the rounds, stirring different reactions.

In a detailed breakdown shared online, the doctor explained that he carefully reviewed the video, slowing it down and examining the movements of the individuals described as crippled.

According to him, several physical and neurological signs expected in paralyzed or long-term crippled individuals were absent.

Dr Sina noted that medically, a non-functional or paralyzed leg often presents with abnormal angles, rotations, or muscle wasting due to disuse. However, he claimed these features were not evident in the video.

He also pointed out instances where some individuals appeared to move their legs freely, including crossing them, which he said would be impossible for someone who is paralyzed.

He further argued that even in a scenario where healing occurred instantly, the brain would still need time to relearn movement, balance, and coordination. In his view, the immediate and spontaneous jumping seen in the video did not align with how neurological recovery typically works.

While emphasizing that he believes in miracles as a Christian, Dr Sina maintained that, from a medical standpoint, the video did not provide sufficient evidence to conclude that a genuine miracle had taken place.

He encouraged viewers to slow down the footage themselves and consult medical professionals for further evaluation.

His words …

“I took a look at this Pastor Chris’ video and as a medic I slowed it down and examined critically.
I zoomed into the legs of the so called ” crippled” and here is what I’d say

1 If truly one is crippled , As Medics we know that the particular leg that’s crippled or non functional will assume an angle or rotation , None of the “crippled” had that angle which means most of them had fully functioning leg muscles.

2 If you look well there is a particular woman there that crossed her legs. If you are crippled aka paralyzed you can’t summon muscle power to bring your legs to make that angle

3 I tried to zoom even though I wasnt able to see clearly , usually when one has been crippled for a while there is tendency for the muscle to be asymmetric due to disuse, (except they’ve been having physio) took a look at all of them well, even though difficult i didn’t see physical signs of being crippled.

4 Even if we assume they were crippled for a while. If they miraculously got new nerves and muscles cells.
Jumping off the bed, the brain and other organs will still have to remaster movement. Balance and a little stagger.
The jump was spontaneous and not looking like a need for remastering.

Were they really crippled from the beginning ?

5 Slow the video and zoom zoom and check the occasional movement of the lower limb muscles of some of them ( show your doctor friends) that shows signs of intact nerve and muscle control

So are they really crippled?
PS- crippled will mean paralyzed or Paraplegic ( medical word)

Do miracles exist? As a Christian yes.
But is this a miracle? Looking at medical facts evidenced i don’t believe it is a miracle denovo.

You can fact check yourself”

Check out his post …

 

Watch tthe video below:

Continue Reading

Trending