Church Holds Prayer Rally in Onitsha over Ritual Killings

By Ikeugonna Eleke

Grace of God Mission International, a Pentecostal church in Onitsha, last Sunday held a prayer rally around the city of Onitsha to protest the spate of ritual killings, cultism and drug consumption in society.

The rally, which was led by the General Superintendent and Presiding Bishop of the church, Dr Paul Nwachukwu moved round prominent streets in the commercial city, occasionally stopping at popular junctions for prayers and sprinkling of anointed oil.

There has been a recent upsurge in the number of ritual killings related to the quest for wealth in many states across the country, most of which involve youths, with young girls mostly the victims.

Nwachukwu who led the rally said, ‘We are doing this to pray against the spate of ritual killings in society today; the high level of involvement in cultism by our young people and the rate at which they consume hard drugs.

‘Today is a very big and great day. Grace of God youths held a rally all over the streets of Onitsha, declaring and making it loud and clear that ‘yahoo plus’, ‘mkpulummili’ (hard drugs) and every kind of cultism shall end in Onitsha.

‘We prayed against the spirit of wickedness and lawlessness, praying that the youths will start to live a life that will bring glory to Christ, honour to their parents and be a blessing to society.’

The prayer rally which lasted from 3pm to 6pm moved through Upper Iweka Road, Owerri-Onitsha Expressway, Enugu-Onitsha Expressway and other prominent streets in the city.

Some members of the church who spoke to journalists said the aim of the rally was that Onitsha youths would be delivered from ritual killings, hard drugs and cultism. They expressed the belief that Onitsha would not remain the same after the rally, as God would bring deliverance on the city and the youths.

Sopulu Uba, a member of the church, and a student of Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe, who participated in the march, wished that other churches would come out and do the same thing, noting that it would help to sensitize the people.