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In his confession, he said: “I have been in pastoral ministry for over 10 years. When some of my members or the friends they bring, come to tell me about their problems, I always give them fake prophecies. If I discover that they have money, I use the opportunity to rob them by setting them up with the fake prophecies.”
The Commissioner of Police, Imo State, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, said that Okorie deployed this strategy in deceiving, robbing and even attempting to murder one member of the church, 35-year-old Mrs. Chioma Oleka at Atta in Ihennasa, Njaba Local Government Area, Imo State, by falsely claiming that she was possessed with a mermaid (marine) spirit.
On May 25, 2016, Okorie lured Oleka to Nwangele river, where she was to ostensibly undergo special deliverance prayer. The lady drove her Lexus SUV with a Rivers State registration number, KPR 243HF to keep the appointment for prayers and deliverance.
Okorie narrated what transpired after: “As we were praying on the bridge, I went to the back of the vehicle and picked up a machete. I gave her several cuts all over her body with the intention to kill her. Then I pushed her from the top of the bridge into the river for her to drown. Some members of my gang, who pretend to be members of my church, who went with me then escaped with the SUV, when we sighted a police patrol team.”
Unfortunately for Okorie and the gang, Oleka miraculously survived the vicious attack and fall into the river as she did not drown.
“Before this thing happened I had been attending Watered Ground Ministry, the church headed by Pastor Okorie. He always prophesied in the church and one day he said that I had a mermaid (marine or mammywater) spirit. He said I had to go for special deliverance prayer not knowing that he wanted to rob and murder me. During the prayer session, he suddenly pushed me from the top of the bridge into the river. He gave me machete cuts thinking that I would die. But a police patrol team rescued me, took me to the hospital. I think I have learnt my lesson, that there are many false pastors all over the place; we need God’s intervention” , Oleka narrated.
After escaping from the crime scene, Okorie and his gang members continued their nefarious operations for several months thinking that the chapter had been closed on what they did to Oleka.
Meanwhile, Oleka had began to recover from the attack. When she was strong enough to talk with police detectives investigating the case, she narrated what happened and gave the police the registration number of the car. Okorie was placed under surveillance and when the Police were satisfied, they moved in to arrest him. During interrogation, he sang like a bird and revealing his past escapades in crime, robbery, kidnapping and murder.
The police recovered the Lexus SUV as well as the arms and ammunition of the gang.
