Tanzania Halts Pastor Ezekiel’s Arusha Crusade
Sunday’s last-minute cancellation of a crusade in Arusha, Tanzania, dealt the New Life Church preacher Ezekiel Odero, also known as Pastor Ezekiel, a setback.
Thousands of believers congregated at Ngarenaro Primary School in anticipation of the much-publicized crusade.
However, they were left disappointed when the Arusha District Defence and Security Committee revoked the permit for the crusade.
Some Christians who had traveled from Kenya and others from Arusha’s neighboring districts protested the cancellation.
The pastor was scheduled to preach at the weekend gathering hosted by Soni Nabii, a Tanzanian cleric.
The venue was filled with worshippers from East Africa and other countries, but the police arrived and ordered everyone to leave immediately.
The regional police superintendent in Arusha, Justine Masejo, stated that action was necessary after learning of the meeting.
Mr. Juma Hamsini, director of the Arusha Municipality, provided four justifications for revoking the permit that had previously authorized the meeting.
Pastor Ezekiel’s alleged association with Paul Mackenzie, a main suspect in the 403 Shakahola cult deaths as of Monday evening, is one of the reasons.
Mr. Hamsini stated that Pastor Ezekiel’s visit to Arusha could result in public confusion because he had been implicated in Kenyan fatalities.
In addition, the cleric is under investigation for alleged involvement in human organ trafficking, money laundering through his church and church-registered businesses, and assisting suicide.
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The court released the preacher on parole and ordered him to report every two weeks to the offices of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation.
In addition to the criminal charges, Mr. Hamsini stated, “The procedure for obtaining a permit from the city is, to begin with the director, but in this case, the Culture Department forwarded the letter to the officer in charge, who issued the permit on my behalf without my knowledge.”
Earlier in the week, Arusha City Culture Officer Lucy Jilanga stated that a three-day gospel crusade had been approved for the Ngarenaro school grounds, but terminated the call without confirming whether she was aware that Pastor Ezekiel would be among the preachers.
The cancellation was also attributed to the fact that the venue for the crusade was a school where students were taking exams.
Fears of the spread of typhoid fever in certain areas of the city were also cited as a reason for the meeting’s cancellation.
When Ngarenaro Ward Councillor Isaya Doita contacted the school administration, they stated that they had not been informed of the crusade.
Pastor Ezekiel was hesitant to discuss the uncertainty with the media, but it turned out that he had been consulting with the Arusha District Defence and Security Committee until Sunday evening.
Earlier in the week, he told the media that he had no ties to any pastor who was responsible for the deaths of congregants.
He stated that he had traveled to Arusha to heal the ill through prayer and invited those in need of prayer to the Ngarenaro Primary School grounds.
Tanzania Halts Pastor Ezekiel’s Arusha Crusade
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