NSUKKA- The arrow of God is no longer at
ease and things have fallen apart in the
household of an Enugu herbalist who is
married to 48 wives and blessed with about
200 children some of whom are born again
Christians.
His children have insisted he must repent and
give up the business but to no avail. The 66-
year-old herbalist, Chief Simon Odo (a.k.a
Onuwa, Africa Solomon or Satan is sleeping)
who hails from Aji, Igbo-Eze North Local
Government Area, Enugu State, and started
his herbal business at the age of 15 told
Crime Guard that until recently, peace, order
and tranquility reigned in his household as he
ensured that he meet up their demands.
Crime Guard, learnt that over time, seven of
his children were ordained pastors at the
Lord’s Chosen Pentecostal Church. Hitherto,
some of them attended Catholic and Anglican
churches while many of them took after their
father in his business.
However, the ordination of the pastors brought
about a radical Christian awakening in the
extra-large family of Chief Simon Odo. A
reliable family source told Crime Guard that
since the past two years, there had been a
simmering misunderstanding between the
pastors and their father regarding his herbal
practice.
The pastors were said to be mounting heavy
pressure on him to repent and turn to Jesus,
a demand the herbalist spurned. Odo, said
to have lost one of his wives last February,
had arranged for the burial programme, which
his pastor sons rejected and rather organized
a prayer programme for her burial.
In the confusion that ensued, the pastors and
some others of his children allegedly
manhandled their father and tore his clothes
to shreds. The herbalist was said to have
petitioned the police Area Command, Nsukka,
on the development.
*Onuwa
Crime Guard who met with the herbalist at the
Area Command, Nsukka in a “Jumper” which
he claimed was torn by his born-again
children, said, “ the beating is unacceptable
and I cannot tolerate it and that was why I
sought police intervention to prosecute
them.”
Odo’s trouble started two years ago when he
allegedly discovered that one of the so-called
pastors had carnal relationship with one of his
wives (name withheld), explaining that when
he (Odo) accosted him, the boy reacted by
mobilizing others to rebel against him.
He said that his children-pastors alleged that
he is evil and must abandon his herbal
practice and join them to preach the gospel.
The herbalist stressed that there is freedom of
worship in Nigeria. “Let those of my children
who preferred Pentecostal practice go on with
that and allow me to practics my own belief
”.
He said he had before now promised to
sponsor their religious programme, including
one week long crusade but they turned it
down, only to point at him as a devil.
According to him, “If I am devil, all of them
are children of devil.”
Odo pointed out that if his pastor sons’
repentance was to be making love to their
father’s wife, then such repentance is evil
before the creator of heaven and earth and
man. He vowed to take his children to court
for threatening his life and beating him. The
herbalist claimed that his children are lazy,
looking for his wives to sleep with.
“I have the wherewithal to care for the 200
children comfortably. Those who want to be
useful can still make it with me. One of my
daughters is a graduate and a two-term
councillor at Igbo-Eze North Local
Government Council and another one Amara,
who is looking ahead of others, will be
traveling to London to further her studies.
The so-called pastors are looking for a
scapegoat.” However one of the seven pastors
who preferred anonymity claimed that their
father does not want to take care of his
children, saying that he only gave birth to
them and abandoned them to their fate. He
alleged that their father does not provide for
them, but spends his money on frivolities,
buying cars for others outside his immediate
household.”
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