Dan Ibambe, the ministry’s media advisor, said a court order for Mr Ofeogbu to be released was signed on August 15, 2024 after the blogger met his bail terms.
Zion’s Prayer Movement Outreach has made it clear that it is not responsible for the ongoing detention of blogger Harrison Ofugbu, also known as Ijere Speak.
At a press conference on Saturday, the ministry’s media advisor Dan Ibambe said a court order for Ofeogbu’s release was signed on August 15, 2024, after the bloggers met his bail conditions.
However, the blogger will remain in custody for another case in the federal high court in Auca, Anambra state, Ibambe said.
“For the record, Ijele Speaks was released by the court on July 19, 2024. The bail was completed on August 15, 2024, and Ijele Speaks was released to return home.
“So, while Ijere Speak’s ongoing detention has no connection to evangelist Ebuka Obi, Ijere Speaks is currently in prison for separate legal issues not related to Zion,” he said.
Ibambe has denounced Sahara Reporters, an online news outlet owned by Omoyele Sowore, which publishes fake news.
He said the article, published on April 2, claimed that the ministry’s spiritual director, Ebuka Obi, was in charge of blogger Ijele Speaks’ one-year detention, claiming it was false and misleading.
He said that Sahara reporters were completely aware that the blogger was being detained for other unrelated cases, but chose to mislead the public with falsehood.
“We clearly state that this report is a deliberate attempt to portray the evangelicals in a bad light, unsubstantiated, misleading the public.
“We believe that circulating negative reports are designed to undermine the image of Evanka Obi, a God-human.
Ugonna Okpala, a member of the provincial legal team, presented the release documents signed by the court. She said Ofoegbu’s defense attorney had notified the court that his client was being held for another case that is unrelated to the ministry.
She advised the media not to deceive false and misleading accounts circulating by certain platforms.
Fake miracle controversy
On March 13, 2024, Ijele accused Ebuka Obi, founder of Zion’s Prayer Movement outreach, of deceiving people through gradual miracles and turning his ministry into a business enterprise. In a virus post he tagged police and the Department of Justice, Ijere said he would speak.
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He was later arrested and taken into custody by police. Police said they are being investigated for criminal threats, threats to life, cyberstalking and cyberbullying allegations.
The following month, the Magistrates’ Court in Abuja remanded him at the Kefhi Correctional Centre in Nasalawa. Police filed three counts against him in May 2024 at the Federal High Court in Lagos. However, in June 2024, the court granted him bail of N505 million.
Mr. Obi is caught up in a dispute over allegations of miracles and staging of false testimony.
In February, Loveth Alo was arrested and arrested in an Enugu court after allegedly making false claims about the purchase of the millions of Naira residence during a testimony session at Obi’s church.
However, Ms. Aro told police she acted alone.
