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Port-Harcourt Pastor arrested for detaining wife at home

Published

1 year ago

March 9, 2025

Advocate News Nigeria

Leader of Dynamic Flame of Fire and Miracle Ministries, Prophet Umueke Miracle

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The Rivers State Police Command are questioning the leader of the Port Harcourt-based Dynamic Flame of Fire and Miracle Ministries, Prophet Umueke Miracle, following “complaints” from his wife, Success Miracle.

It was learnt that a police team brought the pastor to the Divisional Headquarters at Sani Abacha Road, GRA Phase III, Oroagbolu, Port Harcourt, on Sunday afternoon.

Details regarding the cleric’s invitation by the police remain unclear, as the state Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, stated that he was yet to obtain full details of the case.

Speaking to The PUNCH on Sunday, the CP confirmed that the case involved “complaints” from the cleric’s wife, whom sources alleged had been locked In the house for some time.

Confirming that the cleric was in custody, the CP said, “I’m aware, but they’re still on it, and I’m not in a position to comment until the matter has been thoroughly investigated. They will brief me. They are still interviewing them, and I don’t have much information on the case yet.

“I think the PPRO will be in a better position to speak once we have concluded the initial investigation.”

When asked about the reason for the cleric’s arrest, the CP insisted that he needed to be fully informed of the facts first.

“The PRO will be able to provide details after the preliminary investigation. I wouldn’t say whether he was arrested or invited because the case involves his wife. I don’t yet know the extent of the complaint, but we will update you once the investigation progresses,” he said.

Meanwhile, sources privy to the incident claimed that the pastor’s wife had allegedly been locked in their home for several hours before being rescued by a team of policemen who arrived at the cleric’s residence on Sunday.

When asked about reports that the cleric had been arrested due to allegations of confining his wife in the house, the CP said, “I’m not aware of that.”

However, a source following up on the case at the police station suggested that the prophet might be released soon, as he had denied the allegations.

The source said, “His wife reached out, claiming he had locked her up for weeks, and she was just rescued by the Rivers State Police Command. Initially, they let him go, but we insisted, and they had to bring him back to the State CID.”

Another source close to the wife added, “When they were about to take him in, he (the pastor) pleaded with the CP to allow him to go and preach.

“They took him in his own car to the Abacha Police Station, where his wife was being held, before driving both of them to the State CID.

“When the CP was informed that it was unethical to release him, he ordered the State CID to bring him back.

“What I am unsure of is whether he is still in police custody, as there was pressure on his wife to drop the case, with some arguing that it was a private matter between husband and wife.”

Attempts to reach the pastor for comments were unsuccessful, as his phone was switched off. His wife, Success, also did not answer calls as of the time of filing this report. However, clips obtained on Sunday showed the couple arriving at the police station in the company of police officers.

Pastor’s recent public challenge on miracles

Prophet Miracle recently made headlines for challenging activist Omoyele Sowore to a live demonstration of healing miracles, particularly on stroke patients.

Sowore had previously criticised Nigerian pastors, describing their miracle claims as deceptive theatrics aimed at manipulating followers.

He alleged that his father, who suffered a stroke, had fallen victim to a “fake miracle” when taken to a church for healing.

In response, Prophet Miracle described Sowore’s remarks as an attack on the Christian faith, insisting that miracles were real and undeniable.

Speaking to his congregation in a viral video in March, the cleric challenged Sowore to bring a stroke patient to his church, vowing to shut down his ministry if the person was not healed.

“He (Sowore) should personally bring someone with a stroke or insanity, and all television stations should be there. I am saying this live, and people all over the world are watching.

“This is Prophet Miracle in Port Harcourt; I challenge Sowore to bring me someone with a stroke. If I cannot pray for the person to stand up, let this be the end of my ministry.

“But if I pray and the person is healed, stands up, and walks before everyone, then until he dies, Sowore should never speak on TV or appear on social media again.”

He further declared that If he failed to heal the individual, his church should be shut down permanently.

Meanwhile, Sowore accepted the challenge, urging the pastor to visit the stroke ward at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital instead.

In a Facebook post, Sowore said, “I have accepted the challenge and would ask the pastor to move his ministry to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital stroke ward, particularly the comprehensive stroke care centre, and clear out the place.

“My reason is that those in that ward are certified sick and need urgent healing. There is no need for a back-and-forth. I will be watching his (Prophet Miracle’s) live stream tomorrow to publicise his healing prowess from that ward.” (PUNCH)

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BREAKING: Many feared dead as Warri–Itakpe train derails

Published

7 hours ago

June 8, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

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Several passengers are feared dead after a train operating on the Warri–Itakpe corridor derailed on Monday.

The exact number of casualties has yet to be officially confirmed, as rescue and assessment efforts continue at the scene of the incident.

Confirming the development, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) disclosed that emergency personnel and relevant agencies have been mobilised to assist affected passengers and manage the situation.

“The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) confirms that an incident involving the Warri–Itakpe Train Service (WITS) occurred today.

“Emergency response teams and relevant authorities are currently at the scene attending to the situation and providing necessary assistance,” the statement signed by the corporation’s managing director and chief executive officer, Kayode Opeifa, partly read.

“The corporation is closely monitoring developments, and a detailed statement will be issued as soon as more information becomes available,” it added.

Authorities are expected to release additional information as investigations and rescue operations progress.

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50 Zamfara Elders on reconciliation visit to bandit leader abducted

Published

8 hours ago

June 8, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

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Jammo, the bandits’ kingpin in charge of Muntsira Forest in Maradun LGA of Zamfara, reportedly kidnapped them.

The chairman of Maradun Local Government, Hon. Bello Dosara, confirmed the incident to Daily Trust, but said the people decided to meet with the bandit kingpin without government’s clearance.

“We are against reconciliation with the bandits, and Governor Dauda Lawal never supported that, but unknown to us the people chose to go on with it,” Dosara said.

Dosara further said the bandits’ kingpin blocked the village access to the market, but he constantly maintained giving them weekly security backup to come to the market and return home.

“I wonder why, how they go and meet their rivals; they block access to the market, and I support them with security every week,” Dosara expressed his worries.

The council chairman further confirmed the release of 11 people, while the remaining 39 are still in captivity.

“He released some to just brief the people on the unfortunate incident,” he added.

Also speaking, the Councillor of Magami/Faru ward, Bello Husseini, revealed that previously the bandits kingpin Jammo, who is terrorizing the area, had an encounter with the Zamfara State security outfit ‘Askarawa” where they killed two of his lieutenants and carted away their rifles.

However, during the last fasting period, the bandits, who were on a reprisal attack, also killed two Askarawa personnel and took away their rifles.

“You see we are one to one; they killed two of us and took away their rifles, and we also killed them and possessed their firearms initially,” Husseini said.

Husseini added that the bandit Kingpin requested reconciliation after one of his boys was killed in a recent military operation at Kandare village, which the people granted on their own against the government policy.

According to him, the communities sent in a 50-man committee and on their arrival, Jamm betrayed and kidnapped them but later released 11 people.

Hon. Husseini said Jammo is currently demanding N24 million for the three seized rifles.

“We are against any form of reconciliation because we know they are not trustworthy; they can speak one true statement against a hundred lies.”

“The people he held hostage were elderly, and he had no reason to hold them hostage; he betrayed them by saying he is tired of banditry and opted for reconciliation,” Husseini said.

The Councillor further stated that he migrated from his ward due to insecurity, despite the fact that he is against reconciliation in whatever form.

The chairman and the Councilor jointly called on government and security forces to launch an attack on the “Dajin Natsira” as the bandits never experienced confrontation throughout the history of banditry in Zamfara State.

“They have never been attacked by any security forces, and we are optimistic that if the government wants to help these people, one patrol five kilometres away from the village will yield a very good positive result.”

“Whenever the forest was bombed, 6 local government areas out of the 14 in the state, such as Talata Mafara, Bakura, Anka, Gummi, Bukkuyum, Maru and Bungudu, will definitely be peaceful.”

They also urged Governor Lawal and the Minister for Defence Bello Matawalle to come to their aid.

Hon. Husseini said Jammo was the overall ruler of the Dajin Natsira, which comprises Bayan ruwa, Kwargwaro, Aljumma Fulani, Gidan Dawa and Kyetare but each segment has its own leader.

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2027: Former Power Minister, Barth Nnaji Endorses Gov Mbah, Tinubu for Reelection

Published

10 hours ago

June 8, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

Prof Barth Nnaji with Gov Peter Mbah during his visit to Enugu Government House on Monday

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Former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, has endorsed Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State and President Bola Tinubu for a second term in office, saying the governor has done exceedingly well.

Nnaji announced the endorsement while fielding questions from Government House correspondents during a visit to Mbah on Monday, citing several landmark achievements of the governor in just three years.

The former Minister said he was unavoidably absent at the weekend when the people of Enugu East Senatorial District endorsed Mbah and President Tinubu at a massive rally, but maintained that politics was about lineup and he was fully in support of the president’s endorsement and reelection.

Prof Barth Nnaji and Gov Peter Mbah

“It should not be a surprise that I am in support of my younger brother. You may not be aware that during the run-up to the 2023 election, I led a group of key stakeholders in Nkanu East to campaign, going to all the key stakeholders in Enugu State, asking them to, please, consider Nkanu East; that we had not had the opportunity of holding this position. And because of that lack of opportunity, Nkanu East was about the only local government that did not have any real government presence.

“If you are in, say, the Idodo area where the governor and I come from, you had to go through four local governments before you got to the headquarters of our own LGA. This needed to change. And so now all that is changing because of the work of His Excellency, our governor. And you can see that to go from that Idodo area to Amagunze, our local government headquarters, is now a matter of a few minutes. That has totally changed the calculation,” he stated.

Continuing, he lauded the governor’s strides in the areas of security, infrastructure, and healthcare, which he said were not only critical enablers of economic growth, but also key to reversing brain drain and overseas medical tourism.

“There are so many other reasons why we have to all come and encourage our governor for what he is doing and to do more.

Gov Peter Mbah and Prof Barth Nnaji

“I was just talking with him about the two major criteria for people to come back to Nigeria instead of the ‘Japa’ syndrome of running away. Those two would be security, and the second is high-quality healthcare. So, the development of the Enugu International Hospital, which will have the sort of equipment that people run elsewhere to access, is something that is quite innovative for Nigeria.

“We are not lacking in high-quality doctors because we have them, except that many of them have run away. So, this hospital here will bring them back and begin to reverse healthcare tourism.

“Then there are all the infrastructure projects, the roads of standard quality that have been built or are ongoing across the state, and so on.

“Therefore, my presence here is to encourage him and support him so that by the next term, we should be able to see a lot more. That is the point,” he added.

Nnaji urged other people jostling for the office of governor in 2027 to join hands with the governor to consolidate on his achievements and actualise his lofty vision for the state.

Citing his personal experiences, he described Mbah as a listening leader and called on other stakeholders in the state to offer their advice where necessary.

“The whole idea is for all of us to join together to support the governor for the next term. It is okay for people to run for office, but you have to look at the future. What are we really trying to gain?

“If we are doing well, then the thing is to encourage the governor and his government to do more for the people.

“The other thing is that key stakeholders in the state should be able to come and be part of advising for the better. I mean, a governor is not God. A governor is a person of excellence who should be able to move the state forward. But in doing so, wherever there are things that are not going the way people want, we should be able to tell him. And he will listen. I believe he absolutely listens. From all the discussions that we have been having, I know he listens,” he concluded.

On Tinubu’s reelection, he asserted, “On the support for the President, there is a lineup for the office. And that lineup is very important – both the up-ballot and down-ballot candidates usually have to be supported by clear-thinking people. That is what we are doing.”