Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, simply known by his sobriquet Reverend King, is a Christian preacher from Anambra State, South-east Nigeria.[1] In 2006, he rose to nationwide recognition following the murder of a church member, Ann Uzoh.[2][3][4] He was subsequently sentenced to death in January 2007,[5] and his conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on 26 February 2016.[6]
Dr. Rev. King | |
|---|---|
| Born | Chukwuemeka Ezeugo |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Occupation | Preacher |
Early life and education
editEzeugo was born in Umulekwe village in the Achina community of the Aguata local government area, Anambra State, Nigeria. He attended Premier Primary school, Onitsha, for his basic education, and he obtained a degree in Psychology at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University.[7]
Ministry
editEzeugo is the founder of the Christian Praying Assembly, a religious organization for which he served as the general overseer until September 2006.[8]
Trial
editOn 26 September 2016, Ezeugo was arraigned before the Lagos High Court on 6 charges of murder and attempted murder. He was arrested and charged to court primarily due to the murder of Ann Uzo, one of his members,[9][10][11] to which he pled 'not guilty', as she was said to have died as a result of Ezeugo setting her on fire, with eyewitnesses saying he did it because he caught the victim in the act of fornication.[12][13][14]
In whole, a total of 10 witnesses came forward, testifying that Ezeugo was the perpetrator. The lawyer defending Ezeugo debunked the statements of the 10 witnesses, pointing out the discrepancies in their statements, which however was true, the witnesses made some contradicting statements to their earlier statements.[clarification needed] These errors were however too little to prove anything substantial as the presiding judge, Justice Joseph Oyewole, of The Lagos High Court Ikeja, on 11 January 2007 found him guilty of the murder of Ann Uzoh and sentenced him to death by hanging, plus 20 years for attempted murder.[15][16][17]
Controversy
editIllicit sex with members
editDuring his trial in the Lagos High Court Ikeja, a witness, Edwin Akubue, who was later identified as a key and notable member of Reverend King's Ministry, testified that Ezeugo was romantically involved with his wife prior to the events of the trial.[18]
Violence against parishioners
editEzeugo affirmed allegations that he molested his church members when he made this statement in the court of law.[19]
"I am a preacher. I know that the spirit of witchcraft is against the Almighty God. If somebody is a liar, he is bewitching God. I don't condone lie. Dr. King does not condone sin. I flog a lot. I have canes. If husband and wife mess up by having misunderstanding, I have to settle them. But the person that is at fault, I must flog. If the person refuses to be flogged, I will send him out of the church."
Sexual perversion
editDuring the trial, a female student named Miss Chibuzor was brought in to testify, by the then director of public persecutions named Mrs Bola Okikiolu-Ighile.[20]
Appeal
editOn 26 February 2017, the Supreme Court of Nigeria unanimously upheld the previous guilty ruling of the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal and the initial court that tried Ezeugo, along with the sentence of death by hanging, with Justice Ngwuta remarking that "the facts of the case could have been lifted from a horror film."[21] Lagos State's Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem, praised the final verdict.[22] In 2018, Kazeem would state that clemency would be possible if Ezeugo was deserving of it.[23]
2019 Presidential Elections
editEzeugo was alleged to have filled the nomination form and his posters were on the streets for the office of the president in the 2019 Nigerian general election under Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA).[24][25][26] Although there were campaign posters of him circulating, his candidacy was obviously false.[27] In February 2021, for his birthday, the newspaper This Day published a 17-page colored advert praising the Reverend King.[28]
References
edit- ^ "Rev. King, Sentenced To Death For Setting Church Members Ablaze, Moved To Katsina Prison". onlinenigeria. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ "Nigeria will boil if you kill our Holiness – Rev. King's church members". Daily Post Nigeria. 2013-02-16. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ "Supreme Court decides Rev King's death sentence Feb 26". Vanguard News. 2015-12-10. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ "How Rev King set us ablaze, by church members - OnlineNigeria.com". nm.onlinenigeria.com. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ Olokupona, Jacob (14 March 2014). African Religions. Oxford University Press.
- ^ Nnochiri, Ikechukwu (26 February 2016). "Breaking News: Supreme Court okays Rev King to die by hanging". Vanguard. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
- ^ "Things you may not know about Rev King - The Nation Nigeria". The Nation Nigeria. 2016-02-27. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ "Christian youths plead for Rev. King - Vanguard News". Vanguard News. 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ "Rev. King To Die By Hanging For Killing Church Member | NaijaGistsBlog Nigeria, Nollywood, Celebrity, News, Entertainment, Gist, Gossip, Inspiration, Africa". naijagists.com. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ Okachie, Leonard (2006-09-14). "Nigeria: Rev King Lands Witness Dirty Slap in Court". Daily Champion (Lagos). Retrieved 2017-02-24.
- ^ "Rev King to die by hanging as Supreme Court upholds judgment". Daily Post Nigeria. 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2017-02-24.
- ^ Abdulah, Abdulwahab (2006-10-10). "Nigeria: King Set Us Ablaze Over Fornication Allegation, Witness Tells Court". Vanguard (Lagos). Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ "King Turned Me to Sex Machine, by AbdulWahab Abdulah, Yomi Ologunleko & Bose Awoyemi, Witness Tells Court, Vanguard, October 12, 2006". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ "Murder: Rev King must die - S'Court". www.authorityngr.com. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ "Nigerian killer pastor to hang". News24. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ "Supreme Court Of Nigeria Affirms Death Penalty Judgement On Reverend King". Sahara Reporters. 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ Ehiabhi, Vincent. "Unbelievable! Read what this Igbo group wants FG to do over Rev King death sentence". Naij.com - Nigeria news. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ "Rev. King, Sentenced To Death For Setting Church Members Ablaze, Moved To Katsina Prison". onlinenigeria. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ "Rev. Emeka King: "Why I flogged my church members" - Dawn-To-Dusk News". Dawn-To-Dusk News. 2016-02-27. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ "Things you may not know about Rev King - The Nation Nigeria". The Nation Nigeria. 2016-02-27. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ "Popular pastor on death row, Rev King, sends prayers to church service". Punch Newspapers. 2021-10-03. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
- ^ "You must die, Supreme Court tells Rev King - Vanguard News". Vanguard News. 2016-02-27. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- ^ Inyang, Ifreke (19 April 2018). "Rev King may escape death by hanging". Daily Post. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ Obidiebube, Ogechi (2018-08-14). ""Rev. King as President na di best tin wey fit happen to Nigeria"". BBC News Pidgin. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- ^ says, Ebuka Amaechi (2018-08-25). "APDA plans to adopt convicted Rev King as presidential candidate". The Sun. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- ^ Young (2018-08-07). "Campaign Posters Of Reverend King Flood The Streets Ahead Of 2019 Election". Information Nigeria. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- ^ Bagudu, Emmanuel (2019-04-24). "No! Rev. King 'On Death Row' wasn't a Presidential Candidate during the 2019 polls". Dubawa. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- ^ "Murder Convict, Rev King Gets 17 Pages Of ThisDay Birthday Advert While On Death Row". Sahara Reporters. 2021-02-26. Retrieved 2021-05-01.