Apostle Chibuzor Denies Collecting Rent From Deborah’s Family

Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere, the head of a faith-based organization, has denied seeking rent from late Deborah Emmanuel’s parents in the estate he gifted the family near Port Harcourt.

Remember that in May 2022, Deborah Emmanuel (not Deborah Samuel), a 200-level student at Sokoto State’s Shehu Shahari College of Education, was brutally murdered by her classmates, who accused her of blaspheming Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Deborah’s parents and six siblings were transported to Rivers State a few weeks after the tragedy by Apostle Chibuzor, the General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries Worldwide, which is headquartered in Aluu, on the outskirts of Port Harcourt.

When he arrived, he gave them an estate with 14 self-contained rooms, scholarships to Deborah’s siblings, and a car for her father, Garba Emmanuel.

But, speaking to reporters in Port Harcourt on Saturday, the cleric denied claims on social media that he had requested the family he was catering for the proceeds of the estate’s rent.

Apostle Chibuzor, who attended the briefing with Deborah’s parents and siblings, stated that he presently has 18 estates in various places where people can live for free.

He stated, “So I don’t see any reason why I will ask for rent for the estate I gave to this wonderful family.

“If I didn’t collect rent for my 18 estates that people are living in free of charge, is it this family, whose daughter stood for Christ and died, to whom I have given that property after signing documents and handing it over, from whom I will ask for rent?

“God will not forgive me if I ask them for rent. They went through a lot of trauma when their daughter died. So I sent it to their family.“

He recalled that what struck him was the uproar from Christians, which could have sparked a religious crisis.

“There was agitation in Sokoto, in Niger State, because of the regular killings. The girl (Deborah) did not do anything. She only confessed her faith, and she was burnt to death.

“And the family said they would not send any of their children to school again. I said if her family is not moved out of that place, they may be attacked again, which may result in a major religious war.

“My intervention saved this nation from a religious crisis. People, enemies should not try to manipulate anybody, ” Apostle Chinyere said.

He added that when Deborah’s family arrived in Port Harcourt, he personally met them at the airport and drove them to the estate he planned to gift them.

Apostle Chibuzor added, “The estate was empty. There was no one there. And considering what they have gone through, it will be wicked to put them alone in their estate.

“So I had to rent a house for them. Then, when tenants start renting the estate, they can now move. So I only paid one year for the rented apartment and furnished it for them so that they could have neighbours.

“Then somebody went and interviewed them and wrote that OPM promised to gift you an estate, but he went and rented a house for them. It is not true.”

Continuing, he said, “As I am talking with you, they are living inside their estate with their tenants. It has 14 self-contained units valued at N100,000 each.

“And they collect yearly N840,000 for rent. So I never collected one kobo from them.”

Garba, the late Deborah’s father, told reporters through an interpreter that he and his family had been living in the estate and collecting rent from their renters.

He stated, “I have been living in the estate and I have collected over N800,000 from my tenants. We are okay here and there is no problem.

“I wanted to increase the rent from N100,000 yearly to N130,000, but my tenants begged me, so I left it.”