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.
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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