Posted on: 01:00 Sun, 17 Apr 2016



IN a bizarre case of ill fate, two
women, 25-year-old Chioma
Jonathan, a native of Obiangwu in
Ngor Okpala Local Government
Area and Chinonye Anyanwu, aged
26, from Ahiazu Mbaise LGA, both
in Imo State, died when they were
struck by lightning.

The unfortunate incident happened
when the two women went to
participate in the regular Holy
Ghost Hour prayer session of
Heavenly Sure Charismatic Church,
a Pentecostal church, usually held
in the premises of Comprehensive
Secondary School, Emekuku in
Owerri North LGA, Imo State.

Also affected in the lightning strike
was the 54-year-old General
Overseer of the church, Pastor Luke
Nwokocha, who led the short-lived
prayer session. He temporarily lost
consciousness and was rushed to a
hospital by his wife and another
member of the church, where he
was revived. In addition, he
sustained injuries on his leg.

At the headquarters of the police
command in Imo State, Pastor
Nwokocha recounted to Sunday
Sun, what happened. “We always
have fellowship every Tuesday. On
the fateful day, we had our ‘Holy
Ghost Hour’.

We were five members in the
church. The two deceased sisters,
including the sister that swept the
church premises; Evangelist
Solomon and myself were
arranging the benches. Around
4.30pm heavy rain started falling. I
started praying for the
programme.”

Then there was a sudden lightning
flash followed by the deafening
sound of thunder. The two women,
who were in the direct path of the
electric field created by the
lightning flash died instantly, when
they were struck by the streak.

Nwokocha, who apparently was off
the direct path of the streak
received a much lower jolt of
electricity, which, however, was
strong enough to throw him across
the room, cause temporary loss of
consciousness and physical injuries
on his leg and hands.

“My wife, Pastor Eucharia
Nwokocha and the other church
member rushed me to the hospital
for medical treatment,” he said.

Nwokocha who hails from
Umuakuru Emekuku in Owerri
North LGA further explained: “I
have been in this ministry for 26
years. I have never experienced
anything like this. I was called into
ministry in 1990.

Until that time, I was a policeman
and served in the Imo State Police
Command and retired at Akwa
Ibom Police Command in July 2007.

Following my retirement, I decided
to focus on my ministry fulltime. I
do not understand how it
happened, its only God who
understands and knows all.”

Following the incident, the elder
brother of Chioma Jonathan
reported the case to the Owerri
North Divisional Police Station,
from where the case was
transferred to the homicide
department at the headquarters of
the Imo State Police Command,
Owerri, the state capital.

The Commissioner of Police, Taiwo
Lakanu who confirmed the incident
said it was a strange occurrence.

He added that the cleric was
undergoing interrogation at the
State Criminal Investigation
Department while the corpses of
the dead women had been
deposited at the mortuary of the
Holy Rosary Hospital, Emekuku.

One of the elders of Emekuku
community, Godwin John told
Sunday Sun that the whole thing
was a mystery.

“We know Pastor Luke usually
holds the ‘Holy Ghost Hour’ prayer
session. What happened to Pastor
Luke Nwokocha and the lightning
strike that killed two members of
his church is an abomination. We
will consult the elders,” he said.

Meanwhile Lakanu has reassured
relations of the deceased women
that proper investigation would be
carried out by the officer in charge
of the homicide section of State
Criminal Investigation Department,
Supol Innocent Obi, who is working
hard with the detectives under him
to ensure that there is no
miscarriage of justice.