By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Founder and Spiritual Director of the Children of Light Anointing Ministries, Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Prophet Onyebuchi Okocha (popularly known as Onyeze Jesus), has reportedly escaped from the hands of his kidnappers after spending barely four months in captivity.
The Anambra-born spiritual leader, who was kidnapped on Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at Nkpor, reportedly escaped from his captors on January 3, 2025, with a new look.
This was corroborated by a video currently trending on social media showing Onyeze announcing his escape, with his hairs and moustache looking very busy and unkempt.
“Today, January 3, 2025, I escaped from the kidnapping gang. It was not ordinary kidnapping o, because they came to kill. Kidnapping is different; this one is killing. If look, you’ll see my beards. Since September 4th I was kidnapped. But thanks be to God…,” he recounted (in Igbo language) in the 56-second video, shortly after escaping from the kidnappers’ den.
Although, details are still sketchy about Onyeze’s freedom, the social media space has been flooded with outpouring of felicitations by many of his fans and other netizens who are celebrating and thanking God for his safe return.
It would be recalled that Onyeze’s abductors, sometime in October, demanded of a whopping sum of two hundred million naira (₦200,000,000) as ransom for his release. They also threatened to kill and deliver his corpse if the ransom was not paid by Saturday, October 5, 2024, which was the deadline.
Fans have described as miraculous and gracious, Onyeze’s safe return, despite the ransom not being paid eventually.
When contacted by this reporter, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State Police Command, SP Ikenga Tochukwu, said the Command was aware of the video, but “do not have any details on it.”
