For organising prayer sessions for devotees and causing undue tension at
Kaduna Prisons, condemned founder of Christian Praying Assembly, Rev.
Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, popularly known as Rev. King, has been transferred
to Kastina Prison.
Although prison authorities in Kaduna, Northcentral Nigeria, have
not officially revealed his whereabouts, prison sources informed P.M.NEWS
that he was moved to Katsina Prison because a large number of his
church members including notable politicians, always visit him in
Kaduna for prayers, which became a source of concern to the prison
authorities.
King, who was sentenced to death by hanging for the
murder of a female member of his church, has appealed against the
conviction and is awaiting judgement. But while he remains in prison,
his devotees and some influential members of his church have been
working hard to ensure that his death sentence was reversed.
One
of the sources, who did not want his name mentioned, said: “The man is
just too influential among his adherents. We see different people, both
high and low class, visit him for prayers.”
According to the
source, when the prison authorities became uncomfortable with how his
devotees visit him for prayers, causing tension in the prison, they
decided to move him far north to an unknown prison where nobody can see
him.
Efforts to get official information on his whereabouts at
the time of filing this story were futile as all the senior personnel
declined to talk on any matter regarding him, saying his case is still
pending in court.
Rev. King was sentenced to death by hanging in
2007 by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Ikeja High Court on a 5-count
charge of murder.
The bearded General Overseer of Christian
Praying Assembly (CPA) at Canal View Street, Ajao Estate was convicted
for setting fire on seven members of his church whom he accused of
fornication.
One of them, Ann King, died as a result of injuries sustained in the fire.
During
the trial, witnesses, who were mostly his church members, narrated how
Reverend King turned them to sex toys. The principal witness in the
matter, Kelechi King, in her gory account told the court how she had
aborted four pregnancies for the self-acclaimed ‘god’.
She also revealed how Reverend King made her denounce her family and how she served him as his maid, attending to him naked.
On
the incident that led to the death of Ann, almost all the prosecution
witnesses corroborated the fact that Rev. King actually set them on
fire by pouring fuel on them.
They also told the court that on the
said date, Rev. King gathered them together in his house following
allegations that they were committing fornication in his house, an
allegation they all denied.
Another prosecution witness, Olisa
Chiejina, told the court then how the accused operated a “Lord Army”,
an outfit he said Rev. King uses to intimidate and harass members of
his church.
After his conviction, Reverend King was taken to the Kirikiri Prisons where he was put on death row.
His
lawyers, however, immediately filed an appeal to forestall his
execution. The appeal is still pending. While awaiting his appeal, he
was accused of having sexual intercourse with female guests even in
prison. The allegation subsequently led to his transfer to Kuje Prisons
in Abuja before he was moved to Kaduna Prisons again.
Culled From PM News
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