Professor Bishop Sam Onyeagoziri Ndubueze, General Overseer of Champion Cathedral in Abakaliki, has come forward with allegations that members of a local occultic group are behind a campaign of blackmail and intimidation against him. This development follows his public condemnation of their activities, specifically the Omabe masquerade, which he criticized on his community’s WhatsApp platform.

The trouble began after his post went viral, with group members threatening to “deal with” him shortly thereafter. On September 1, 2025, Bishop Ndubueze’s phones were stolen in Abakaliki, an incident he initially did not connect to the threats. He reported the theft to the Onicha Development Union chairman, Chief Engineer Chijoke Ikeagwu, who assisted him in blocking his accounts. The following day, he formally documented his complaint at the Crack Department of the Nigeria Police, Ebonyi State Command.

After filing his report, Bishop Ndubueze alleged that he received a phone call from unknown persons demanding ₦10 million to suppress damaging information they claimed to have about him. The callers threatened to force him out of Abakaliki due to his stance against their masquerade. The phone number used to make the demand was found to be an unregistered line.

Furthermore, doctored nude photographs allegedly involving Bishop Ndubueze began circulating on WhatsApp and Facebook shortly after the threats. He claims that these images were manipulated using artificial intelligence technology, with his face taken from a traditional wedding thanksgiving event years ago and used to fabricate false content.

Bishop Ndubueze clarified that some of the photos found on his stolen phone were of a 26-year-old woman who had previously lived with him. She had been a victim of sexual harassment and had sent the photos to him for safekeeping. The images trending online, he insists, are a manipulation, merging his image from the chest upwards with hers.

The cleric has called on security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and bring the perpetrators to justice. The incident highlights the challenges faced by individuals who speak out against occultic activities in their communities, and the need for law enforcement to take such cases seriously and protect those who are being intimidated or blackmailed.