BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
There was confusion at the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Camp, also known as City of Refuge, Oshiegbe in Ezza North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, when a young woman identified as Mrs Beatrice Nwogha, slumped and died while praying.
The woman had attended a three-day prayer marathon, organised by the Church group for divine healing of her undisclosed ailment, and had participated actively in the programme till the last day.
However, at the grand finale of the Charismatic prayer programme organised to celebrate the 2023 Pentecost Day, the mother of two suddenly collapsed during the prayer, while a team of medical workers rushed to the scene to salvage the situation.
The incident disrupted the religious programme as both the medical and prayer teams struggled to revive her via first aid processes. While this was ongoing, the entire congregation prayed and cried to God to restore life to her but to no avail.
Announcing the incident to the congregation, the Diocesan Chairman, Nweke Stephen, said the woman had been rushed to Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki for better medical attention and sought financial assistance from the congregation to facilitate prompt response by the health workers.
Unfortunately, some minutes later, it was announced that Nwogha, a native of Ekemgbo community in Abofia axis of Abakaliki town of Ebonyi Local Government Area of the state, couldn’t make it alive to the hospital.
Stephen advised the congregation to take good care of their health by going for regular medical check-up to prevent avoidable deaths and silent killers or health challenges like high blood pressure.
In an interview with the deceased’s kinsman, Jones Nwogbaga, he hinted that the woman had been battling with an ailment for sometime and had attended the prayer programme in anticipation of miraculous healing.
He further revealed that the family of the deceased had suspected spiritual attack, which was the reason Nwogha’s husband took her to the prayer service for cleansing.
“Mrs Beatrice Nwogha had been sick and the illness defied all herbal medicines we knew. That was why we suspected it was a spiritual attack and advised the husband to bring her to the prayer ground for healing. But, unfortunately, the attackers followed her there and finally took her life,” Nwogbaga lamented.
