Founder of the church, Udo

The holy book is emphatic that at the last or end time, so many strange things not known to mankind since creation would begin to happen. Otherwise, how would one explain that a young man born into a community that boasts of one of the very best in the promulgation of the Christian faith round the globe could go all out to establish the Church of Satan with the appurtenances of the devil in the very community of the father of tele-evangelism in Nigeria?

When tele-evangelist, Rev (Dr) Uma Ukpai from Asaga Ohafia in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia, who have spent over 75 per cent of his life on earth propagating in his community and elsewhere what the Bible said in John 10:9-10 that “Jesus Christ is the way, whoever enters through him will be saved and that Lucifer, the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”, little did he know that a young man from a nearby village of Ebem Ohafia would come out with something that is not only antithetical, but utterly strange to the Christian faith – the establishment of the Church of Satan.

As the news of the existence of the Church of Satan, Ohafia, Abia State and the arrest of its founder, Ifekwu Udo a.k.a Lucifer or Fada-Fada broke out, this reporter set out to unearth the fairy story surrounding this Shaman; a man created by God, but who chose the path of Devil’s edification.

Thus on Tuesday, July 14, this reporter  set out for Ohafia, the political capital of Abia North and incidentally, the headquarters of Udo’s Assemblies of Light Bearer Greater Church of Lucifer, popularly known as Church of Satan  where the devil is the grand master, while Udo is the chief servant.

A journey that could have ordinary lasted for 45 minutes took two hours because of the deplorable condition of the Umuahia-Ohafia highway. By 10:30a.m, the reporter was at Ebem Ohafia where the “church” was located and on inquiry directed towards the late Prof Eni Njoku’s house, on the Eni Njoku Road.  Prof Njoku was the Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos and that of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). He hailed from the area. Surprise number one was that the place where the Church of Satan is located is directly opposite the compound of the late academic sage. And surprise number two is that the Church of Satan is located not quite more than a kilometre from Asaga, the home town of renowned tele-evangelist, Rev Ukpai.

“The Church of Satan is location at Ebem Ohafia, directly opposite the house of the late Prof Eni Njoku, former vice chancellor, University of Lagos and University of Nigeria, Nsukka while the school he wasbuilding is immediately after the Muri River along the same road. The worse problem of it all is the location of his church opposite the house of the late Prof Njoku and you know the type of nuisance he was causing to the neighbourhood”,  a native of the area who simply gave his name as Agwu lamented.

Udo, according to Agwu, was born in 1981 to an Ebem Ohafia man while his mother is from Isigwu Ohafia. It was reported that as a result of the maternal linage type of affinity the people of the area practice, Udo raised money with which he established his Church of Satan from proceeds of landed property he sold at his maternal home.

“His father is from Ebem”, started Agwu “and his mother from Isigwu all in Ohafia. Due to our maternal linage type of relationship, he went to the mother’s place, sold his land of inheritance in the area and came to Ebem to start his Lucifer church which he started in 2016”.

The establishment of the Church of Satan came with it inglorious fame for Udo. He soon became rich and built a popular brothel which is said to also be located inside the premises of the Church of Satan.

Expanding his business frontier, Lucifer as Udo is also known, bought motorcycles which he gave to some youths in the area to operate  for him at daily returns of N2, 000 per operator and at the last count he is reported to have over 250 of such motorcycles.

With this, Lucifer was said to have become influential that he was appointed a Special Assistant to the Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu.

Also speaking Uma, another native of the area said: “Apart from the church and brothel he owes, Lucifer has over 250 motorcycles he gave to youths in the area to operate for him. Everyday, each person operating his Okada pays N2, 000 and you know what that translates to in a month. With this, he became so influential that he was appointed an SA to the governor”.

As a result of his perceived closeness to those in the corridors of power in the state, Lucifer became a law unto himself. Uma has this to say, “The founder of the Church of Satan, Ohafia like I said earlier, is an SA to the governor and because of this, he believes he is above the law. He has been arrested severally in the past; if you arrest him in the morning, he will tell you he will be coming back in the evening and in the evening you definitely will see him because he is connected to the powers that be in the state”.

When asked if the government knew about Lucifer’s demeaning deeds, Uma said: “They may know, one thing is that if the government wants to use you, whether you are good or bad, they will use you. Every bad thing has a useful use. He was engaged by some politicians to rig elections for them, he even will win election outside his political ward for any party that pays him well”.

Although, much about his immediate family is not in the public domain, however, Lucifer is said to be married with children.

In the words of Okwun, a transporter from Ohafia: “Yes, he is married with children, there was a time he even bought a vehicle for his wife and gave it a customized plate number, LUCIFER QUEEN while his own plate number was LUCIFER”.

Despite the high links surrounding Lucifer, he is what may be referred to in the local parlance as stark illiterate and he was always out to tell anybody who cares to listen, that he is not a man of letters.

Etiogwe runs a printing business in Ohafia and does some work for Udo a.k.a Lucifer.

According to him, “He (Lucifer) was not educated, and he’s always very blunt telling people he was not educated, he didn’t pass primary school and he does not hide this fact”.

Speaking further when asked whether he had been to the Church of Satan, Etiogwe replied with voice of vehemence, “No, why will I be there when I have my own church where I worship God?”

He, however, enthused, “I cannot deny him, he used to come to my office to do printing matters, I’m a printer, I run a printing outfit here in Ohafia, he comes and I print banners and some of their church tracts for him”.

From the prints you do for him, who do they depict he worships? Etiogwe was asked. “Definitely, he believes in Lucifer, his name is Lucifer, he worships Lucifer. He used to tell us that government gave him contract to collect emblems from commercial motorcycle operators in Ohafia. He boasts he is connected to government because he is an SA to the governor”.

Udo is said to have many members who ostensibly out of the desire to make money, patronize attend his “church”.

As the chief servant of the Church of Satan, he superintends over people who are lured by lucre.

Lucifer sees himself as lord. He is feared in the area. Due to what Udo professed and practiced, according to Uma, many people in the area who knew what he was doing was bad, feared greatly to expose him.

Nevertheless, 19 days a local phrase has it is for the thief, while one day is for the owner of the house. Lucifer has for years pranced the Ohafia landscape like a colossus. One thing they say led to the other. An incident that happened in Ohafia sometime in April and the alleged corresponding role played by the founder of the Church of Satan, was all that was needed to demystify him. A drunk policeman shot and killed an apprentice trader in the area, while efforts were frantically being made to sort things out, Udo was alleged to have organized youths who went on rampage and destroyed not only the police station in Ohafia, but also the state High and Magistrate courts in the area.

When a man brings home ants-infested firewood home, surely he must be prepared to host lizards of all kinds. Udo murdered sleep by that action and since then, has not “slept”. Udo, and some other of his boys, according to another resident of the area, Kalu, was arrested by police from Force Headquarters, Abuja for “their involvement in the destruction of the police station and the two courts in Ohafia and the vandalizing of police vehicles”. After a while, they were released and the founder of the Church of Satan returned to base, amplifying his activities.

However, after Udo’s arrest by the Force Headquarters, the people of Ohafia began to see him (Lucifer) as an ordinary person that could be challenged or made to account for his inactions. They then began to probe into some of his activities which nobody dared before, and found that he was not obeying government’s directive on COVID-19 protocol and alerted the Abia State Police Command. Men of the state command recently led members of the COVID-19 Mobile Court who came to Ohafia, arrested Lucifer and shut down his church.

Lucifer’s arrest has elicited joy in the area. Hear Kalu: “People of Ohafia knew his evil practices, but nobody could confront him because of his claimed connections with evil forces.

“There is nothing people cannot do now just for money and power. He claims to have the power Satan has. He is known to use voodoo power on his members and has been getting away with so many things until now.”

To show their displeasure on the activities of Fada-Fada in the area, immediately he was arrested by the state command, the symbols of Satan in front of the church premises which is also said to house his school of Satan, was pulled down by youths in the area.

Today, the people of Ohafia are in unison that Lucifer should look for another place for his church as they are not ready to accommodate him any longer.

Hon. Fred Idika, the transition chairman of Ohafia Local Area said: “The state commissioner of police alerted us that the founder of the Church of Satan, Ohafia violated the COVID-19 protocol directives and that they were coming down to shut the place, and police went there with the Mobile Court to shut down the church. As things are, the council would not want Udo and his Church of Satan to come back in the area as he was a bad influence to the community”.

A member of Ebem Ohafia traditional ruler’s cabinet who pledged anonymity said that even if the government frees Lucifer, he was not going to be allowed to operate again in the community.

“The Eze-in-Council will be meeting soon to take a decision on him; he is likely to be shown the way out of the community”.

Available information from the police points to the fact that Lucifer would soon appear in court and Daniel would then come to judgment.

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Source: Sun News