A Magistrates’ Court sitting in Abakaliki has remanded a 24-year-old self-acclaimed prophet, identified as Prophet Ubadinma, in a correctional facility over multiple allegations including fake prophecies, defamation of character, attempted murder, arson, stealing, and malicious damage.
The suspect, popularly called Prophet Ubadinma, was accused of consistently issuing false prophecies that caused public unrest and reputational damage in different communities. The alleged offences reportedly occurred between 2020 and 2025 across Offianka Inyima, Agharaoza, Affiauku, and Ochiohu Inyegu villages in Izzi and Ikwo Local Government Areas of Ebonyi State.
According to police reports, one of his fake prophecies targeted an Ogun State-based businessman, Emeka Mgbore (EmmyBest), whom the accused claimed was a ritualist. The prophecy, circulated on social media, allegedly incited mobs to attack Mgbore and loot his shops in Ogun State.
Other victims of the false prophecies and defamatory claims were identified as Linus Uguru and Njoku Iziogo, among others, who were said to have suffered reputational harm due to the suspect’s utterances.
The Ebonyi State Police Command arraigned Prophet Ubadinma on 16-count charges spread across four different cases. These charges include attempted murder, arson, stealing, malicious damage, and defamation of character.
During the court proceedings, the suspect’s lead counsel, Barrister Emeka Anosike, applied for bail, arguing that the offences were bailable and did not constitute severe harm. However, the police prosecutor, ASP Lilian Aliede, strongly opposed the bail plea, stressing that the offences were serious and had far-reaching implications on the victims’ image and security.
On the charges of defamation of character, Magistrate Mrs. Sandra Ifeanyi-Oyibe granted the accused bail in the sum of ₦2,000,000 for each of the two defamation cases, with two sureties residing within the court’s jurisdiction. The sureties are also required to present evidence of three years’ tax clearance. The matters were adjourned to September 15 and 16, 2025 for hearing.
However, for the other cases involving attempted murder, arson, stealing, and malicious damage, the court declined to grant bail, citing lack of jurisdiction. The magistrate ordered that the case files be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for further legal action and compliance.
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