Court sends 8 pastors to prison for staging fake miracles with actors

An Anambra State High Court sitting in Awka, the state capital, has remanded eight pastors in a correctional facility over allegations that they staged fake miracles using hired actors to deceive worshippers and obtain money under false pretence.

The defendants — Peter Chukwu, Chinedu Egwuonwu, Bishop Emeka Nwankpa, Ebele Nnachukwu, Ekeleme Chris Ugochukwu, Ndubisi Nnachukwu, Miracle Iruoma and Chukwukadibia Ogwuama — were arraigned by the Anambra State Government on Friday, June 5, 2026.

They were brought before the court by operatives of Agunechemba, the state’s security network, and charged with offences bordering on the alleged use of fake supernatural powers, conducting arranged miracles, and using places of worship to facilitate criminal activities.

The prosecution, led by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke, told the court that the pastors allegedly employed actors to pose as beneficiaries of miracles in order to mislead congregants and solicit financial contributions.

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The defendants were charged under Sections 18(3) and 19(1) of the Anambra Homeland Security Law 2025, as well as provisions of the Advance Fee Fraud Act relating to obtaining money by false pretence.

Following their arraignment, the court ordered that the pastors be remanded in custody pending the hearing of their bail applications.

The case was adjourned until June 15, 2026.

The prosecution is part of the Anambra State Government’s ongoing crackdown on alleged fraudulent religious practices and other activities it says threaten public safety and security.

Governor Chukwuma Soludo had earlier disclosed that several suspected fake pastors were under investigation, stressing that Anambra State would not tolerate the exploitation of residents through deceptive religious claims.