Scandal Rocks Zion Ministry as ‘Miracle’ Testimony Proven to Be Staged

Self-proclaimed prophet Ebuka Obi of Zion Prayer Movement Outreach has been exposed in another staged testimony scandal, just months after his controversial involvement in a fake miracle claim with the late veteran actor John Okafor, popularly known as Mr. Ibu.

A newly surfaced video shows a woman, who had previously testified at Zion Ministry about purchasing a N500 million mansion, admitting under interrogation that her story was entirely fabricated. During her testimony, the woman claimed she had gone from having just N300,000 worth of goods in her shop to owning a luxury mansion in Lekki, Lagos.

During the church service, Obi enthusiastically encouraged the congregation to believe in such miraculous transformations. “Zion is the best; this is the last bus stop,” the woman declared in the video, while Obi urged his followers to claim their own financial breakthroughs. However, reports indicate that the house in question did not belong to the woman, and the real owner allegedly had her arrested for falsely claiming it as hers.

This incident follows previous allegations against Obi, including his widely criticized claim in 2023 that he had miraculously healed Mr. Ibu. The actor later passed away on March 2, 2024, after a prolonged illness that required multiple surgeries and the amputation of his legs.

The controversy surrounding Obi intensified in March 2024 when Nigerian blogger Chizorom Harrison Ofoegbu, known as Ijele Speaks II, publicly accused him of fraud. Ijele labeled Obi’s miracles as deceitful and called for his arrest, arguing that his religious activities were merely a business scheme. In response, Obi filed a petition against the blogger, leading to his detention by the Nigeria Police Force on charges of criminal intimidation, threat to life, cyberstalking, and cyberbullying.

The police cited violations of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention) Act 2015 and sections of the Criminal Code Act. However, in June 2024, the Federal High Court in Lagos granted Ijele bail, with Justice Akintayo Aluko presiding over the case.