Church members beat up pastor after he charges them for private prayer sessions with no results

ANGRY parishioners at a South African church in KwaZulu-Natal have beaten up their Nigerian clergyman Pastor Adebayo Okechi after they accused him of scamming them by demanding R15,000 ($850) for private one-on-one prayer sessions.

In what is common practise in Nigeria, Pastor Okechi promised his church members miracle money, job breakthroughs and major life changes if they paid the amount and prayed with him. Many of them say they were desperate and believed in the pastor’s words, so they coughed up the cash and held the prayer sessions.                                   

However, after paying the money and attending the private prayer sessions, nothing happened. Angry church members said they waited for weeks and months but saw no improvement in their lives and when they could not bear it any longer, they took matters into their own hands.

Feeling cheated and frustrated, a group of them confronted the pastor and ended up beating him up during a heated argument. Police were called to the scene and arrested 12 members involved in the assault, although all of them have since been released on bail.

Authorities In Kwazulu-Natal have confirmed that investigations are still ongoing to determine what really happened and whether fraud was committed. Nigerian clergymen have spread their churches right across Africa over recent years, spreading their Christian prosperity doctrine and attracting huge followings.