By Asuquo Cletus, Calabar
A viral video allegedly depicting members of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star destroying their properties and images of their spiritual leader, Olumba Olumba Obu, has been debunked as a fabrication. The incident was claimed to have occurred at the Brotherhood’s world headquarters on Ambo Street, Calabar South Local Government Area, Cross River State.
Our correspondent, who visited the purported scene on Saturday, confirmed that no such event transpired at the premises. Contrary to the video’s claims, the Brotherhood’s properties remained untouched, with peaceful and routine religious activities continuing uninterrupted.
Key Findings:
1. No evidence of destruction or vandalism was observed at the site.
2. Eyewitnesses and Brotherhood members verified that no such incident took place.
3. Further investigations revealed that the video is old footage from an unrelated occurrence.
4. Sources confirmed that the individuals in the video are not members of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star.
During a media briefing after the visit, the Director General of Events, Patriarch Ogar Osim, explained to reporters that the video was outdated footage from an incident that took place in October in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.
According to Osim, while the premises where the incident occurred does belong to the Brotherhood, it was under the control of a dissident group, which a court had ordered to vacate the property.
He noted that this dissident group hired thugs to disrupt church services and create a scene. He asserted that no genuine Brotherhood member would destroy images of their spiritual leader, contrary to what the video portrays.
Osim described the video as a “malicious attempt” aimed at tarnishing the church’s reputation and sowing confusion among its members.
He stated, “This is an attempt to disrupt the celebration of our father’s birthday. The intent is to instill fear and unrest within our congregation.”
“The premises belong to the Brotherhood, but it was controlled by a dissident group. Despite a court ruling mandating their eviction, they hired thugs to orchestrate this disruption.”
“As you can see, that video is part of a deliberate misinformation campaign. We must clarify that the incident did not involve members of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star but rather hired thugs,” he concluded.
