By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu
Spiritual leader of Light of God Synagogue Church, Echezema Ibagwa-aka in Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State, Prophet Chinedu Ezedike Solomon accused of killing four children of the same parents, who incidentally were members of his church, has cried out that he is innocent of the accusation.
Prophet Solomon, around whom a story that he allegedly killed the children of his church members, has gone viral, has denied any knowledge of the murders and called for unbiased investigation into what transpired on the fateful day, May 16, 2025 in the property of the late Raphael Ezema near his church premises.
Prophet Solomon,who spoke to journalists at the premises of Enugu North Magistrate Court, Enugu, before he was returned to prison custody, explained that he was not around the day the incident occurred but was at a customary court “with my lawyer and a friend.”
Vehemently denying that he was a killer or a ritualist but a man of God who uses prayers to deliver people from spiritual and physical problems, Prophet Solomon said that he was set up.
Looking distressed, the prophet appealed to Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State, Fr. Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Ministry, social media critic, VeryDarkMan and Brother Chigbo, the latter whom he described as a good man of God, to intervene to see that justice is done and the real culprit found.
He expressed deep lamentations over destruction of the property he had been blessed with since 30 years that he has been serving God.
He insisted that his worry was not all about his destroyed property, stressing that his concern was to know what happened to the four children who, he said, were like his own children.
According to him, he started his spiritual work at the age of 10 and for over 30 years now God has been using him, wondering why all of a sudden some persons now think he has became a killer and a ritualist.
Prophet Solomon said that before he was moved from Ibagwa to Police Area Command at Nsukka and later to Enugu Police Headquarters, his residence was thoroughly searched, pointing out that the only things found in his house were a candle and a bottle of olive oil.
According to him, nothing indicting or incriminating was found on him, hence his appeal that proper investigation be carried out to get to the bottom of the saga.
“What I am begging Nigerians is to help me so that the truth of what actually transpired will come to light because I know I am being manipulated and set up for murder. The killer or killers of the innocent children must be unveiled, if God has called me. The death of the children was a trap to set me up, to damage my reputation and the reputation of the church.
“I am pleading with Gov. Mbah to look into the case. I am also begging Fr. Mbaka to intervene because this is the image of the church that is being damaged. Anyone that is not affected today could be affected tomorrow.
“I am also pleading with the VeryDarkMan and Bro. Chigbo to intervene; he is a real man of God. Let the truth come to light.
“I am not a politician and if someone is not into politics, he should not be killed. What I do is prayer. Police have done investigation and they know that I did not do anything,” he appealed while pleading his innocence.
Explaining how he came in contact with Mr. Chinonso Ezema, whose children were killed, he said that the latter had a problem of his male children not living beyond one month after birth.
He recalled that it was through prayers and three days’ dry fasting that made Ezema and his wife to have two male children that survived.
He said that they had been with him for eight years since he delivered them from their family problem.
Because of the miracle God did, the prophet stated, the children’s parents named their first son after his name, Chinedu, so that they will constantly remember the man that God used in helping them overcome their distress.
The prophet further explained how he met the person whom the deceased children’s parents accused of killing their children, one Chukwuma from Ede Obala in Nsukka Local Government of the state.
According to him, Chukwuma’s mother had kidney problem with her stomach protruding and that she was taken to many popular hospitals to no avail, adding, however, that when she was brought to his church, with holy water, olive oil and prayers, within three months the woman regained herself “and that was how Chukwuma and his family started coming to the church.”
He equally disclosed that at a stage, the Ezemas began sleeping in his church as robbers were terrorizing them in their place of residence.
In the process, both the Chukwuma and Ezema families became acquainted, he recalled.
According to him, however, in the course of time, both families started having friction over space to sleep in the church with this degenerating into frequent quarrels.
When the four children were killed, the prophet pointed out, the Ezema family quickly fingered a member of the other family, especially as one of them had disappeared from the church since news of the deaths broke.
But Prophet Solomon linked his ordeal to his soiled relationship with the traditional ruler of Amebo, Ibagwa, Igwe Hyacinth Eze, whom he acknowledged having issues with over land matter.
According to him, he had purchased many plots of land from the Igwe’s family members and with the matter eventually going to court, it made them enemies.
Prophet Solomon accused Igwe Eze of consequently colluding with the Chairman of Igbo-Eze South LGA, Barrister Ugo Ferdinand Ugwueze, who ordered the demolition of his property when the incident came up while claiming that he was acting on Gov. Mbah’s directives.
He leveled a number of accusations against the Council chair, saying, among others, that he hindered Chukwuma from visiting him at the police station where he (prophet) was initially detained.
Reached for his comments, Igwe Eze said he was traveling and could not talk about the incident.
“I’m going to the airport. I am traveling and I don’t know when I am coming back,” he said.
On his part, the LGA Chairman, Ugwueze, said that he was not surprised that Prophet Solomon claimed innocence.
“I am a lawyer. Even if I am his lawyer, I’ll tell him to plead innocent. Many have been lodging complaints on him. The complaints are too many. People have been coming to complain. I didn’t know him, but people have been coming with complaints of fraud and all what not.
“Why are you coming now? I have spoken to many newsmen and the story is everywhere. Anyway, if you want to see me, you can come to my office,” the Chairman said on phone.
