The prolonged succession crisis in a Nigerian Christian religious sect, the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, has festered on since its founder, Olumba Obu, passed away.

The crisis turned violent recently as angry worshippers in a particular branch in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, became riotous, destroying the portrait of Olumba’s first son, Rowland, who leads a faction of the sect.

Olumba’s daughter, Ibum, leads another faction.

A video, which is being circulated on WhatsApp groups and Facebook, captured a man in a white cassock yanking off Rowland’s portrait from the wall and smashing it on the floor amid cheers from worshippers.

Rowland’s portrait was hung near Olumba’s, but the angry worshippers did not attack the latter.

“Bring it down!” a woman’s voice could be heard shouting in the background of the video as the man in a white cassock smashed the glass frame on the ground.

“This is who we are worshipping,” a man’s voice could be heard shouting repeatedly as the camera panned and then focused on Olumba’s portrait on the wall.

It is not clear when the incident happened.

Amah Williams, the sect’s spokesperson, said the incident happened in Uyo at the sect’s Nsikak Edouk Avenue branch.

Rowland and Ibum, with hundreds of their followers, are claiming the leadership of the 68-year-old sect after their father’s passing, causing a disastrous split in a once united and strong organisation headquartered in the Biakpan community in Cross River State, Nigeria’s South-south.

‘They are rebels’

Mr Williams, the sect’s spokesperson, told reporters on Saturday in Uyo that those responsible for the incident belong to a breakaway faction called Brotherhood of the Cross and Star New Kingdom Ministry.

He described them as rebels who do not want to accept Rowland’s leadership – he did not call Rowland by name as Olumba’s successor is revered among worshippers as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords, His Holiness Olumba Olumba Obu”.

“They are rebels. They rebelled; they rejected the rulership of the Kingdom of Christ,” Mr Williams told reporters.

“The holy image of our father is what we hold sacred,” he said, apparently referring to the destruction of Rowland’s portrait.

A reporter asked the spokesperson what place Jesus Christ occupies in the Brother of the Cross and Star.

“That same (Jesus) Christ is the one that came with the new name Olumba Olumba Obu,” responded.

“If Olumba were to be a white man, black men would have gone to worship on his feet.”

The over 1 million global members of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star do not see themselves as a church but as the new Kingdom of God on Earth. They have also refused to admit that their founder had passed away as the sect has yet to announce his passing or publicly conduct his burial.

Eighteen months after the implementation of Nigeria’s ongoing economic reforms, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has observed that the fiscal policies introduced by the President Bola Tinubu administration are struggling to deliver meaningful results.

Catherine Patillo, IMF Deputy Director, while presenting a report at the Lagos Business School (LBS) on Friday, reported a mixed performance of economic reforms across Sub-Saharan Africa, with notable successes in countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Zambia.

Nigeria was conspicuously absent from the list of success stories in the region.

The report stated that sub-Saharan Africa’s average economic growth rate is projected to remain at 3.6 per cent for 2024. It noted that Nigeria’s growth rate, pegged at 3.19 per cent, falls below this average.

Patillo said that while macroeconomic imbalances have reduced in several countries, Nigeria has yet to show such progress.

She stated that more than two-thirds of countries have undertaken fiscal consolidation, stressing that while the median primary balance is expected to narrow by 0.7 percentage points alone in 2024, there are notable improvements in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Zambia, among others.

The report stated, “In contrast, Nigeria’s inflation rate, which slowed briefly in July and August, resumed its upward trend in September, rising further in October.

“At 33.8 per cent, it significantly exceeds the 21 per cent target set for 2024, with analysts predicting further increases in November and December.”

The report also observed Nigeria’s struggles with exchange rate stability, highlighting it as one of the worst-performing nations in that regard.

According to the report, other countries in the region are experiencing reduced foreign exchange pressures but Nigeria’s local currency depreciation and instability remain a concern.

On debt servicing, the report said Nigeria ranked among countries suffering the heaviest fiscal burden.

The IMF noted that rising debt service obligations are consuming substantial portions of revenue, limiting resources available for development.

It stated that in Angola, Ghana, Nigeria, and Zambia, the increase in interest payments alone absorbed a massive 15 per cent of total revenue.

The IMF grouped Nigeria among resource-intensive countries struggling with social and political challenges that hinder reform implementation.

Political unrest, public dissatisfaction, and tight financing conditions were identified as major impediments.

The report noted that resource-intensive countries continue to grow at about half the rate of the rest of the region, with oil exporters struggling the most and further noted that adjustment fatigue, public resistance, and weak communication strategies are undermining the impact of reforms in Nigeria.

The IMF recommended rethinking reform strategies, urging countries like Nigeria to adopt measures that mobilise public support for deep structural changes.

It pointed out the need for greater attention to communication and engagement strategies, reform design, compensatory measures, and rebuilding trust in public institutions.

Gunmen suspected to be cultists have reportedly killed a soldier and four people at North Bank, a suburb of Makurdi, the capital city of Benue State.

This dastardly act occurred on Friday night.

In the past few weeks the North Bank area of Makurdi has been embroiled in rival cult clashes that has claimed several lives and properties.

Eyewitness accounts disclosed that two yet-to-be-identified young men killed on Friday night were not members of any confraternity but victims of rampaging cultists.

The chairman of the vigilante group known as Operation Shara in the North Bank, Nura Umar, said that four people, including a soldier, were killed in separate attacks on Thursday and Friday night.

He said: “These cultists wreaked havoc yesterday night (Friday) around 10 pm to 11 pm; a soldier and two boys were killed.

“It happened around the BIPC. Those boys who were killed were not cultists. Those who shot them were suspected to be cultists.

“Then, a day before yesterday (Thursday), one person (a suspected cultist) who was sleeping in his house was killed.”

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, Catherine Anene, confirmed cult activities at North Bank.

Anene said: “Yes, there were cult activities in North Bank, but I am aware of one person killed, a young civilian. Operatives have been deployed in the area.”