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Renowned Kenyan televangelist Pastor Ezekiel Odero of New Life Prayer Centre and Church International, Kilifi, was arrested on Thursday 27, on accusations of being Paul Mackenzie’s accomplice with whom, who has been linked with the death of several beliefs of their believed cultic religions.
His arrest was confirmed on Thursday mid-morning by Coast Regional Coordinator Rhoda Onyancha, who also affirmed that Ezekiel’s mega church in Kilifi has been shut down, through a press briefing.
As the regional security team, we have arrested pastor Ezekiel Ombok Odero of the New Life Prayer Centre and Church at Mavueni in Kilifi county on allegations of the deaths that have been occurring at his premises and reported in various morgues. We have also taken action and closed down his prayer centre going forward. We are informing the public that the prayer centre has been closed down and whoever was in there cleared out. We will give updates as we progress with investigations.”
Coast Regional Coordinator Rhoda Onyancha said.
Read: Photo of Dorcas Gachagua at Pastor Ezekiel Odero’s Crusade Sparks Reactions
Why was Pastor Ezekiel Odero arrested?
Pastor Ezekiel’s arrest comes barely hours after the televangelist was summoned from Kilifi alongside his wife and aide by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Mombasa for interrogations following allegations of him taking part in cult operations that have led to the loss of scores of netizens in the coast region.
The preacher is also accused of ferrying the sick, including those suffering from a terminal illness, from various hospital wards to perform healing miracles inside his New Life Prayer Centre and Church in Mavueni, Kilifi county.
Read: THE DCI NOW AFTER PASTOR EZEKIEL; Another Pastor On Lookout
There are reports that some of the patients could have died as a result of being denied medication as a result of the preacher’s actions.
Earlier on, detectives also recorded statements from the management and officials of Milele Funeral Home in Mbogolo, an area near the church’s residential area, in order to establish the number of bodies that they have received from the church.
Some speculations were going around that the morgue’s management could have been the one that filed a complaint to the DCI detectives resulting in Odero’s arrest.
However, the CEO of the Funeral Home, Johnson Amani Kea, clarified that the morgue did not file any complaint with the police as alleged, but rather only helped the police in investigations by recording statements as required by law.
We did not file a complaint. The police are in the process of recording statements on how many bodies we have handled so far from Pastor Ezekiel’s church. We have given our statements to the police, in respect to that, as required by law. We have not lodged a complaint against Pastor Ezekiel. Police are just doing their investigations, period.”
Johnson Kea remarked.
Pastor Ezekiel Odero is currently being held at the Coast Police Headquarters where he has been taken for further interrogations by the DCI detectives.
