Anambra-based cleric Chukwuemeka Cyril Ohanaemere, popularly known as Odumeje, has accused some Christian pastors in Nigeria of staging miracles to deceive worshippers, saying the alleged practice has made him reluctant to minister at other churches.
Odumeje made the allegation during an appearance on The Honest Bunch Podcast, where he expressed concern over what he described as the growing prevalence of arranged miracles in Nigerian churches. “Arrangees (staged miracles) in churches are becoming too much in Nigeria. That is why I don’t go to other clerics’ churches as guest minister. I have turned down a lot of invitations,” he said.
The cleric’s comments were featured in an episode of the podcast published on October 19, 2026.The founder of Mountain of Holy Ghost Intervention and Deliverance Ministry, Onitsha, maintained that the miracles reported in his ministry could be verified through the identities of the people involved. “The miracles we do here, we see their faces. You can take their names and verify,” he said.
He suggested that the ability to identify individuals who claimed to have experienced miracles in his church distinguished his ministry from those he accused of staging such events. However, Odumeje’s assertions about the authenticity of miracles in his ministry, as well as his allegations against unnamed pastors, have not been independently verified.
During the podcast conversation, Odumeje also spoke about his relationship with the late Nigerian televangelist Temitope Balogun Joshua, popularly known as TB Joshua, whom he identified as his spiritual father and mentor. He claimed that no other Christian minister could perform miracles comparable to those he attributed to himself, except TB Joshua.
Odumeje also spoke about maintaining a relationship with Joshua’s family following the televangelist’s death in June 2021. Joshua was the founder of The Synagogue, Church of All Nations, a Lagos-based ministry known for its healing services and claims of miraculous interventions.
Odumeje’s remarks have renewed public discussion about the credibility of reported miracles, religious accountability and transparency within Christian ministries in Nigeria. Claims of miraculous healings and supernatural interventions have long featured in sections of Nigeria’s Pentecostal and charismatic Christian movements, often attracting large congregations and public attention.
The cleric’s allegations, however, do not establish that any particular pastor has staged a miracle. No specific minister was identified in the reported comments, and no independent evidence was presented to substantiate the broader allegation.
The controversy highlights the importance of transparency and verifiable evidence when religious leaders make claims about miraculous healings and other supernatural experiences.