BY CHIKA KWAMBA/OGORAMAKA AMOS/PERCY IDUBOR/JUDITH OBIANUA
religious faith is deeply woven into the fabric of Nigerian society, where Christianity and Islam hold significant influence. Many citizens turn to spiritual leaders for hope, healing, and guidance. However, in recent years, reports of staged miracles and fraudulent religious practices have raised serious ethical and legal concerns. Some religious leaders exploit their followers’ faith, staging fake healings, manipulating emotions, and accumulating wealth at the expense of the vulnerable.
This begs the question: Can Nigeria legally prosecute religious leaders who stage fake miracles? And if so, how can the government regulate religious activities without infringing on constitutional rights? The Pointer investigates.
Victims, Witnesses Speak
In Agbor, the headquarters of Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, many said that miracles existed for the days of old and are real as a proof that God is still doing wonders in the congregation of his people.
Speaking with our correspondent the publisher of Ika Mirror Newspaper, Mr Augustine Ekamagule, said that miracle as exemplified in the Holy Bible is a spiritual act, mainly influenced by one’s spirituality or closeness to the Almighty God.
Mr Ekamagule agreed that ‘’not all the miracles we see today are real, as the activities of the church have been tampered with by people who are now working contrary to the doctrines of Jesus Christ. The love of money has made many followers of Christ start feigning miracles’’.
He said he was shocked when he experienced a fake miracle in one of the new-generation churches in Agbor. ‘’The miracle appeared real, that it took me a lot of time to discern what exactly played out later. The church’s fake miracle script was acted by a young man who ran to the altar and started shouting that he was going to confess that he was sent to destroy the church spiritually but was arrested by the power of God that the pastor wields. His alleged confession attracted a loud noise from members of the congregation, who at this moment, started pouring praises on their pastor; a development that portrays the church badly.
Furthermore, another respondent identified as Mr Ifeanyi Abiamuwe said that the issue of miracles in today’s churches calls for serious questioning and concerns because of the nature of the miracles. According to him, ‘’church matter is a spiritual matter that requires caution in criticizing outside the church because we are humans and can’t understand the things of the spirit. Even though we are not too comfortable with it, we have to overlook it and move on with our lives. Those spiritual things in the church are not meant to be argued. It is left to us as individuals to believe it or not.
Mr Abiamuwe added, ‘’Truly some miracles are real and exist. God is still in the business of performing miracles like in the Bible days through his genuine servants. But in modern days, the way miracles are performed in the church is questionable as most churches have graduated into performing magic with diabolic powers in the name of doing miracles’’.
He said he has distanced himself from attending such churches as he is never a miracle-seeker, but ‘’the truth be said, we know that some miracles are being staged/acted’’ adding, ‘’most miracles performed these days are not real. Some are staged, acted as well as fake because it’s becoming too often and too fast to believe’’.
Moreover, Mr Ehima Nweke, popularly known as Gab Bright, believes there are real miracles from God. ‘’We believe in miracles because God works in miraculous ways’’.
However, he said ‘’what pastors are doing now that the church members are mistakenly calling miracles is magic. There is a great difference between a miracle and magic. There are a lot of fake miracles in today’s churches.
He emphasized that those miracles of instant healing of the blind receiving sight, the cripple with crutches standing up and walking perfectly are seen as fake and staged. ‘’God’s kind of healing/miracle is a steady and gradual process to full recovery.
He, therefore, advised everyone to be watchful and careful where they go in the name of going to church. ‘’One should strive to cement a personal relationship with God as it is said that salvation is personal. Don’t try to know God or ask anything from God through your pastors to avoid being misled’’.
In the same vein, Mr Anthony Abanimoro said some miracles are not genuine. ‘’Some are arranged between the so-called pastor and the church member. This happens when some ministers are desperate for miracles to happen in their congregation to get validation before men and to increase numbers in their ministry.
Mr Abanimoro added that the Devil and his cohorts also work out miracles. ‘’Don’t forget that the gift of God is without repentance. So, the fact that he (Lucifer) was dethroned from heaven doesn’t mean he is now powerless. He is only less powerful than those who are in Christ. This means that not all miracles are from God even when they appear real.
Another respondent, Mr Dominic said so many miracles in today’s churches are fake as he revealed his encounter with the so-called fake pastors. He said ‘’on that Sunday, we were forced to buy things I believe are not reasonable or connected to any of our deliverance and the items were very costly which shows they are only interested in making money’’
Continuing, he said ‘’I was asked to buy broom from the church store for N3,000, which ordinarily was N500 outside the church and also to buy whistle of N100 at N1,000 which even till date I did not know what they were used for’’.
He argued that most of the people confirming they received miracles from prophecies were never members of the church. ‘’Hence, you won’t see them again in the congregation. They have been paid for a staged miracle.
In the same vein, Mr Ebube Yeolawa said he doesn’t believe in miracles performed in churches at all because of the way pastors have prioritized miracles for their gain. ‘’However, I believe that miracle exists and comes only from God. I believe it more when it happens naturally without a third party’’.
More so, Mr Samuel, another respondent, believes that all miracles performed in churches are real. ‘’I am not saying that there are no staged miracles but those fake pastors who stage miracles don’t preach Christ and as a result, they are not even Christians so their worship place is not even a church. If at all they call it church then it’s a fake church doing fake miracles. But all miracles done in the church of Christ are real’’.
However, Mr Ernest Uwagwu said ‘’I will not say that the miracles in churches these days are all real. There are so many people parading themselves as pastors staging miracles just to get followers. Though there are real miracles in churches, there are also fake ones.
Meanwhile, Mr Paul Coker, the Chief Executive Officer of TVDay shared his experience. My story is unprecedented and it’s like a movie. It is about a very close person who labels himself as pastor or prophet and before you know it, he has started making money and people are calling him “Papa’’. Even elderly men and women. The entire drama was real like a dream.
‘’Before he started his so-called ministry, he came to me to dramatize the act of performing miracles by throwing stones on the ground and just by sprinkling a little water, a little fire will engulf the place. He said that he had something that he could use on someone’s head and blood would start dripping from the person’s head. This was just the tip of the iceberg.
‘’After many years, arranged miracles started with his ministry and unfortunately, he recruited a lot of persons in this business. He involved girls and boys in different roles in each service which resulted in heavy fundraising. He can use one or two cases in a service and plenty of donations will be realized that day. He became popular and wealthy’’ he said.
Again, Mr Asuwata Favour said that ‘’yes, there are real miracles and at the same time there are fake miracles just the same way there are fake pastors and also there are real pastors called by God. Even in the Bible, it is written in Acts 19.
Furthermore, Mr Akinola Junior, a journalist said ‘’When it comes to miracles in churches today, the truth is somewhere in between. Not every miracle is real, and not every miracle is fake. Some are genuine experiences, while others are carefully staged performances. ‘’The real miracle: In many churches around the world, people genuinely believe they have experienced the hand of God. They walk into a service burdened with sickness, problems, or pain, and after prayer, they feel healed, lighter, or even completely transformed.
‘’On the other side, some miracles are not real at all—they are carefully planned acts, and this is called staged miracles. This usually happens when certain pastors or church leaders want to attract attention, fame, or money. In these cases, they may pay actors to pretend they were sick or crippled, only to suddenly “receive healing” during the service. These fake miracles are then recorded and spread online to draw more people to the church.
‘’If you could recall recently how a lady was arrested based on fake testimony at Zion Prayer Movement Outreach, led by Prophet Ebuka Obi. The woman claimed she bought a mansion worth ₦500 million, but investigations later revealed that she allegedly fabricated the story and is a local drink seller ¹.
Why would someone do this? The reasons vary, but most times it boils down to: Money—more people in the church means more offerings and donations. Power—In some societies, religious leaders are treated like kings. The more supernatural power they appear to have, the more influence they hold. Competition—some pastors feel pressured to “perform” miracles because people expect it. If they can’t produce miracles, they fear losing members to other “miracle churches.”
Speaking with Mr Ifeanyi Nghege in Asaba, he admitted that some miracles in churches today are fake. Ifeanyi said that he has gone to many churches having spent part of his life in Lagos and Abuja and that was when he discovered that some of these miracles performed in some churches not real but are to attract and retain members.
‘’I have gone to a church where somebody gave a testimony that is not true. The testimony was just to attract and convince people’’ he said, noting that the pastor simply increased numbers in his church, not winning souls for Christ.
According to him, ‘’the purpose for which Jesus established the church was for man to win souls for God and show people the way to God, making them turn from their evil ways but unfortunately, it is not so, they use it as a means of exploiting people’’
‘’A miracle seeker goes to church for a miracle and most times gets scammed. I use the word ‘scammed’ because the pastor sees a vision for them, prays for them and asks them to sow seed before finally assuring them their problem is over but the same thing keeps happening even after they have sown seed and prayed’’.
He advised miracle-seekers to mind where they go for prayers so that they will not fall victim. ‘’Some people go to church with one demon but come back with legions of demons’’
Mr Edward Erakpotobor, also said that he believes most miracles in churches today are fake. He said he had witnessed one. He flashed back to 1982. “I remember when I was in Oyo state there was this pastor that was everywhere. It was said that he can heal the sick, make the blind to see, and the cripple walk. They decided to invite him to Ibadan and organize a very big crusade. In that crusade, he performed miracles, and many blind people were able to see in that crusade. It was amazing, people were talking about the wonders he performed that day’’.
He continued ‘’after six months the people decide to invite the pastor for the second time, this time they brought their people that were blind and crippled to the crusade so the pastor can heal them. But to our greatest surprise, he was not able to heal anyone that day. It was then the community realized that he was fake and he was jailed because of that”.
Advocates, Activists Warn Of Legal Consequences
Although Nigeria does not have a specific law criminalizing staged miracles, legal experts argue that existing laws can be applied to prosecute fraudulent religious practices. Barr Dening Wome, a civil rights lawyer based in Port Harcourt explained that several legal provisions could be used against religious fraud.
According to him, ‘’Sections 419 and 484 of the Criminal Code criminalize obtaining money or property under false pretences. A religious leader who deceives followers with fake miracles for financial gain could be prosecuted under these laws. In northern Nigeria, Section 320 of the Penal Code criminalizes cheating and dishonestly acquiring property, which could also apply to religious fraud.
Continuing, Wome cited the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offenses Act (1995). ‘’Commonly used to prosecute internet scammers, this law also applies to individuals who obtain money under false pretences. If a religious leader demands payment in exchange for promised supernatural interventions, they could be charged under this Act.
He also mentioned the Consumer Protection and Financial Crime Laws. ‘’The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) prohibits misleading advertisements and deceptive practices. Given that many staged miracles are broadcast on television and social media, they could fall under false advertising.
Similarly, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) can investigate religious fraud when it involves money laundering or financial exploitation.
He added, ‘’the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act (2015) criminalizes false representation, identity theft, and digital fraud, providing a legal basis for prosecution.
However, Wome noted that despite these legal provisions, prosecuting religious fraud in Nigeria is difficult due to several factors including Lack of Political Will, Public Resistance, Burden of Proof, and Religious Sensitivities.
Another human rights activist based in Port Harcourt, Henry Binabo, expressed his concerns: “Religion should be a source of hope and inspiration, not exploitation. Today, fake pastors and clerics are everywhere. Religion has become a business, with churches on every street corner. Some even pay people to give fake testimonies, preying on ignorance. Others go as far as engaging in rituals just to perform so-called miracles. It’s no longer about faith—it’s about profit.”
Pastors Weigh In On Matter
Meanwhile, a renowned Minister of the gospel in Edo State, Pastor Rhema Odeh believes there is a clear distinction between a genuine miracle and a fake one. According to him, “the saint can discern, or perceive or know if the miracle is either from God or Satan”
Pastor Rhema adds that miracles done In Christ Jesus glorify God and draw men to Christ Jesus (John 2:11-23 John 6:2-14), adding that genuine miracles approve Christ Jesus, Acts 2:22. He noted that fake miracles raise men and women that will hate God and fight against his Christ and his saints.
From Kogi State, Pastor Israel Akinsanya told The Pointer, “There is no fake without the original. The original has been in existence before the fake. It is impatience of man to follow due process and pay the price for the original that gave rise to fake products all over the world and the same is applicable to the things of God today. The devil, his demons, and his human agents are the ones masquerading themselves as the original miracles.
‘’In Acts 8:1-12, Simon, the sorcerer for a long time bewitched the people of Samaria with fake miracles, but when Philip arrived with the raw biblical truth, the fake power bowed before the truth.
Also, another cleric, who simply identified as Pastor Samuel said, ‘’Anyone who succumbs to the ideas of fake miracles is not a Christian. From Abuja, Pastor Charles Agbonkhehi, said, “By their fruits, you shall know them.” adding “It’s not everyone who says Lord, Lord that will enter the Kingdom of God.”
