Blind cleric, at evangelism crusade, averts violence, arson

A blind cleric and General Overseer of the Hour of Mercy Prayer Ministry Worldwide (Orioke Alaseyori), Prophet Muyideen Moses Kasali, has called on the police to look into cases of alleged child labour levelled against a chief in Ilora community of Oyo State.

Prophet Kasali, who was in Ilora for an evangelism crusade, said his intervention prevented some youths from burning down houses and churches and noted that the angry youths were protesting alleged misuse of young people by some leaders and power brokers in the community..

He said the angry youths, comprising mainly area boys, wanted to set ablaze a church and other residential and business premises built by a prominent native of the town over a lingering feud between him and the town’s monarch.

The lingering crisis between the monarch and the businessman was the fallout of alleged monetary debts involving the duo.

Kasali urged the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, to direct the Commissioner of Police in the state to “pay special attention in terms of security to the town.”

A youth leader in the town, who was part of the protest but craved anonymity, said: “After much begging and sermonising, we eventually opened our eyes. Prophet Kasali held a crusade in the town and mentioned the rift between Afolabi and the monarch through some prophetic utterances and declared that though the tussle is a bondage holding back the progress of the town, the people of the town, especially the youths, could solve it once and for all by being more proactive in prayers.

Speaking on the attempt by the youths to burn the property of the chief, and his alleged role in it, Prophet Kasali said: “I had a powerful crusade in Ilora town on Sallah Day as the Lord led me. God displayed his awesome powers during the crusade which was a vigil and lasted for hours till the morning of Saturday after the Sallah. Many people were received miraculous healings, deliverance and salvation.

“I have organised so many crusades as directed by God, where I even anointed some kings in Ilora neighbouring towns just for peace, progress of the area. So, I am concerned that some people were plotting to truncate these works.

“The Lord also revealed that the people of the town were in bondage of backwardness courtesy of the rift between a leader of the community identified as Afolabi and their monarch, Oba Oyeniyi, The Lord revealed that with fasting and prayers, especially on the part of the youths, the matter would be settled.

“And after attempts to subtly dissuade them against the move, I gave them all the bags of the offerings we got at the crusade and told them to distribute it to all the miscreants, prostitutes and area boys in the town for their Sallah celebration and I also mandated them to ensure that no one worship in Afolabi’s churches on that Sunday.

“I said that if they could do that, God will deliver them from bondage. I cleverly did this to prevent them from burning the church buildings as they had vowed. This was just wisdom of a prophet and it worked. The calamity was prevented.

“But I heard from all critical stakeholders that Mr Afolabi was misusing the youths for criminal activities. I even learnt that he had been using cunning methods to enslave youths working in his industry. These are weighty allegations the NAPTIP and police can’t but investigate,” Kasali said.

A youth leader in the town, who was part of the protest but craved anonymity, said: “After much begging and sermonising, we eventually opened our eyes. Prophet Kasali held a crusade in the town and mentioned the rift between Afolabi and the monarch through some prophetic utterances and declared that though the tussle is a bondage holding back the progress of the town, the people of the town, especially the youths, could solve it once and for all by being more proactive in prayers.

“We were geared up by the prophetic utterances of Prophet Kasali when he held a powerful crusade in this town on Sallah day. Apart from the many signs and wonders in form of healing, deliverance and salvation, among others, God used the prophet to perform among our people, he released a word of knowledge about the three-year-old rift between our monarch and Afolabi.

“This is strange to us as the prophet had come for the first time to our community and we believe God brought him in order to set us free from the bondage Afolabi had put us into,” he concluded.