Africa-Press – Uganda. The Omoro District security committee has suspended the registration of new religious sects and churches over rising cases of false prophecy and extortion.
While addressing the district Covid-19 taskforce in Lalogi Sub-county on Tuesday, Ms Suzan Akany, the Resident District Commissioner, said they resolved to suspend the registration to protect the community against cults.
She said the growing number of churches in the district were exploiting the community instead of helping them.“It has come to our notice that several [religious] sects have turned out to be misleading and cultic, their leaders pretend to be pastors yet they do their cultic things on their followers and demand a lot of money or gifts to perform miracles,” Ms Akany said.She said on several occasions, the security committee had stopped the community from taking mob action against the pastors for allegedly extorting money from them.
“As security committee and Covid-19 taskforce, we resolved that no more registration of new churches and religion be done to avoid what happened at Aremo Village, Aremo Sub-county where a self-proclaimed pastor flogged a follower to death,” Ms Akany said.
Previous incident
Poly Grace Akullu died on May 9 after she was allegedly flogged during a deliverance prayer session at Aremo Pentecostal Church.Police on May 10 arrested Ms Betty Acaa, a self-proclaimed prophetess, over the death. She was remanded to prison last week. Police are still hunting for other suspects.
Last month, the relatives of the victim reportedly raided Aremo Village in a revenge attack.Mr Douglas Peter Okello, the district chairperson, said four churches were closed last year over extortion. He said the activities of some religions in the community is worrying.
Mr Okello said suspending the registration of churches will enable them to monitor and regulate those that already exist.
In Acholi, arrests of leaders and members of several churches point to gross misconduct and criminality.
Last year, five pastors were arrested and charged with various crimes. Three have so far been arrested this year and are being tried over different offences.
Bishop James Ochan, the overseer of Born-again Churches in Acholi, recently hinted that they are now taking measures to ensure professionalism and restore sanity in the faith.
