Saturday, March 19, 2016
In the late eighties/early nineties I traveled to the north with my half brother a building construction engineer as a Christian born in Catholic but bread in Assemblies of God church, I saw a crusade going on right in front of our house, I joined to help in my little way as a small boy growing with fear of God. On getting there, I discovered that the crusade was organized by Rev Pastor Durojaye and his assistant evangelist Joseph Tunde Adedokun he is now a professor at the university of Ibadan south west ZOO Nigeria. The guest minister evangelist Moris Cerulo a fire brand American preacher, a soul winner and miracle worker. Because of my zeal to serve the lord, they made me a chief usher on the third day of my attending the outreach.
That was how I cought the vision that made me to tour the entire northern Nigeria as a pastor, evangelist and missionary. Morris Cerulo and his team left all the crusade equipments, like 16mm film projector, mega phone, microphone, lightings instruments, combi bus, land rover jeep and a portable caravan couch with me. The followings are my encounter with maitasini Islamic terro group in Tarata Mafara 50 kilometers to Sokoto, they came to where I was holding crusade with the help of some Christians just few minutes I alighted from the pulpit, they gave me a letter from Kaduna police command headquarters inviting me for a discussion with the commissioner of police CP by 1pm the following day, I went and was ushered into his office, he looked at me and said such a small boy, however I received a report from Alfas from different part of the north that you are causing religious problems all over the place, i’ii lower my sledge hammer because you are too young to pass through the rigorous law process, but please you are given 24hrs to park your instruments, equipments or what you have and leave the north for your own interest.
I thanked him for considering my age but Sir, I will not leave because I am working for God and no such complaints have come to my hearing. The CP now interrupted and said whether you like it or not next time you will come here I can assure you that the story will be different, at that juncture I angrily said to him Sir, for the second time I am not leaving GOD IS NOT IN RESPECT OF ANY PERSON. Immediately, he stood up, walked towards his room exit door turned back and said to his orderly, kakule shi, gwobe ka Kaishi awoken alkali ze yi mashi sharia. Meaning lock him up tomorrow take him to Alkali he will judge him according to sharia.
The following day, they took me to sheria Court mentioned the case briefly and at about 2-30 they drove me to Kavancha prison, we arrive the prison, rain was falling and it was evening, they singed some papers asked me to sign and dumped me inside with other criminals inside the cell. As if that was not a enough, according to what i was later told by the new converts in Tarata Mafara that The police came the following day and carry everything in our fellowship hall took it to the court as an exhibit. Many Christians made courageous attempt to bail me but was themselves locked up for being a member of a religious trouble makers in the north, and for that reason nobody came either to see me or identify with me, even one Rev father Mike from a village called kwei in jamaa local government of Kaduna state made a frantic efforts to bring me out but his 404 white Peugeot car was waylaid, he escaped assassination twice by the maitatsine Islamic terror group and stopped coming.
The case lasted for nine Months, as God could have it, those who brought the case against me was coming to testify in one of case date and had an accident along Zaria Kaduna road, three of the principal witness died instantly, one escaped with severe injuries and never return to court throughout adjournment dates, because nobody was coming as a crowned witness, couple with the unscheduled transfer of the first judge, the new judge called for the case file, after going through it, he fixed judgement day in a weeks time, I managed to send message to some believers from all nations for Christ fellowship, pastored by Joseph Plays he limps because he had a wound in one of his leg, he was also a student of Kaduna politechnic, telling to send some body to witness the judgement, if they will kill me a Christian should be there to hear the sentence.
SOME INFORMATIONS ARE NOT HERE BECAUSE I’M NOT AT HOME IN ENUGU STATE WERE I KEPT THEM. On the judgement date, all nations for Christ mobilized other Churches namely, Assemblies of God, Christ Apostolic Church, Roman Catholic Church, ECWA Church etc they all came in a chartered buses and arrived the court premises by 10am or there about all these arrangements was unknown to me because the warders always drive to the court in the night preceding the court date, so I was already inside the court hall. The Alkali discharged me same day for lack of witnesses.
After discharging me, I jumped from the dock hit the court floor and ran towards the exit door, there I was held and dragged back to the dock, i then broke down into tears thinking that the judgement was fake. The court clerck then said to me, you should bow down your head and salute the judge you can’t just go like that, I then climbed the dock again facing the Alkali and said to him Sir, I thank you for this righteous judgement but I cannot bow because in the book of Revelation chapter 20 vers 5 my Bible is against bowing down to man, creatures or images thank you Sir I appreciates. Then the judge spoke in Hausa language and said ka belshi ya tehi abunshi. babu shi dekei, meaning, leave him and let him go he does not have sense.
Before I came out of the court, the news has already spread to Christians outside that I have been discharged and acquired. THEY ALL BROKE OUT INTO SINGING. I WAS CARRIED SHOULDER HIGH FROM THE COURT TO A NEARBY CATHOLIC CHURCH I WAS REFRESHED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NINE MONTHS. Benjamin Kish was charged for INCITING RELIGIOUS CREED. By Benjamin kish. Editor Udeagha Obasi
For UmuChiukwu Writers
