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A Zimbabwean village has been struck with tragedy when a pastor, Shamiso Kanyama, died after he was allegedly buried alive on his instructions.

Reports states that Kanyama had asked his followers, 5 members of the same family, to bury him alive so that he could summon more cleansing powers to help cleanse their house of evil spirits.

The members of the family, has now been charged with the murder of the ‘man of God’, as they were the ones who invited the pastor to their house to help cleanse their home, believed to be plagued by mysterious deaths.

According to Zed 24 News, the country’s local newspaper, the accused family members, identified as Leanmore Mutero, Tonderai Muswere, Michael Muchengeti, Manasa Mutero and Nicholas Mutero, have been charged before the High Court in Harare for murder.

“In response to our request to perform a healing ceremony, Kanyama ordered us to dig a grave and bury him alive because that was the way he summoned more healing powers to ward off evil spirits,” they explained.

However, the plan boomeranged, as the pastor, instead of resurrecting as he planned, the men dug up the grave again to find him dead.

The state witness, Father Zvidzai, told the High Court that Kanyama helped to dig his own grave before praying and jumping inside, adding that after Kanyama laid face down in the grave, he ordered his followers to cover him with soil.

“He secured a grave-shaped pit in front of my hut and asked for help to dig the pit. The deceased requested to be buried alive so that he would gain power to drive away the evil forces after resurrecting”, Zvidzai said.

One Joseph Taderera told court that as the men were in the process of filling the grave, he asked them to stop what they were doing as he was scared for the life of the prophet but they snubbed him when the prophet insisted they continued the process of burying him that he would rise from the grave unharmed.

“I warned the men about the danger of their actions, still they disregarded me because the deceased kept telling me that I am disturbing his angels, and urged them to continue filling the grave, saying that he would later come out alive”, Taderera said.

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Gunmen on Monday night invaded Yankamaye community in Tsanyawa Local Government Area of Kano State, killing three residents and forcing many villagers to flee their homes.

Residents said the attackers stormed the community late at night, shooting sporadically and causing panic across the area.

A member of the House of Representatives representing Ghari and Tsanyawa Federal Constituency, Sani Bala, confirmed the incident in a statement shared online, disclosing that three bodies had been recovered after the attack.

“As at the time of this update, three people have been confirmed dead,” the lawmaker stated while expressing concern over the deteriorating security situation in the area.

A resident, Saifullahi Sulaiman Sorodaya, said the attack occurred suddenly, leaving residents with no option but to run for safety.

“The attackers entered the town shooting without stopping, and people had no option but to run for their lives,” he said.

Another resident, Madahuru Isah Ibrahim, disclosed that several persons sustained injuries during the assault and were taken to hospital for treatment.

Following the incident, residents of Yankamaye and neighbouring communities appealed to security agencies to increase surveillance and deploy additional personnel to prevent further attacks.

As of press time, authorities had yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident.

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The Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, was at the weekend thrown into a state of mourning following the discovery of the lifeless body of a 100-level student of the institution.

The body of the deceased, identified as Favour Olaniyi, was found inside a bush along the North Gate of the institution.

The deceased, a male student of the institution’s Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, was found under circumstances that have fuelled speculation of suicide.

An empty bottle of a substance suspected to be a lethal herbicide was said to have been recovered at the scene following the discovery of his body.

Following the development, students and residents within the area were seen gathered in clusters, struggling to comprehend the tragic incident.

Confirming the incident, the Director, Corporate Communication and Protocol of FUTA, Adegbenro Adebanjo, who expressed the institution’s sadness over the loss of the student, disclosed that the parents of the deceased had been informed of the development.

Adebanjo, who stressed that the university is cooperating with police investigators, stated that officials from the Students Affairs Division are providing counselling support to fellow students who may have been impacted by the tragedy.

“The Students Affairs Division, FUTA, has always reiterated its readiness and willingness to provide support for students who may be battling any issues and will continue to do so.

“Students are encouraged to take advantage of the availability of such counselling and guidance when they are faced with any issues on and off campus.”

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Command, Abayomi Jimoh, disclosed that an investigation had commenced into the incident, stating that there were no visible marks of violence on the body of the deceased when detectives visited the scene.

He said, “The corpse has been deposited at the mortuary for preservation and further examination, while investigations to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident have commenced.”