I was very young when this man died, but i do faintly recall he was very flamboyant and controversial. I have always found him fascinating, so i went digging and came up with bits and pieces of information about his shocking religious movement.

In the beginning, there lived a man whose real names were Olufunmilayo Immanuel Odumosu, but he fondly called himself “Jesu Oyingbo”. He was highly revered, adored and venerated by his disciples and followers, who believed that he loomed larger than life. He taught his adherents that he was the real Jesus Christ and his presence on earth was his second coming.

Indeed, many of Odumosu’s adherents had to sell their properties, forsake their families and joined the religious leader to build a spiritual enclave.

Although the self-styled religious leader proclaimed himself Jesu Oyingbo, he never shared any trait with Jesus Christ who resurrected the third day. In actual fact, he failed to resurrect the third day as he had prophesied.

Sources claimed that after Odumosu’s primary school education, he started a vocational training in carpentry with his uncle, Pa Odubela who eventually took him along to Lagos.

After his apprenticeship, Odumosu worked briefly as a carpenter at the Post and Telecommunications (P&T) Department of the Ministry of Communications in Lagos and thereafter he founded the Universal College of Regeneration (UCR) in the early 1950s. After the close of work at his carpentry shed, he would, on a daily basis, assemble his adherents under a tree and lectured them on the Bible, giving them spiritual speeches. Thus, his Oyingbo residence at the time gave him his lasting name. He then moved to Awoyokun Street, Ikorodu Road, Palmgrove and later Immanuel Street, Maryland, Ikeja.

He sharpened the concept of religion as a private business, an idea that seems commonplace now in Lagos and Southern Nigeria. More than 500 followers lived on his compound and worked in his businesses: a bakery, a restaurant, a barber shop, a construction company, and a printing plant.

His business acumen also covered areas such as property development, equipment leasing, among others.

Jesus Oyingbo was religiously tolerant, mixing, for example, Christian statues with Islamic and pagan symbols on his compound. But he was, perhaps too tolerant, in ways that drew accusations that he was operating a cult.

Passers-by would notice that some of his buildings on Immanuel Street, Maryland had the inscriptions such as ‘’Merciful and Mighty’’ and ‘’Everlasting Father,’’ surrounded by statues of Christ, caterpillar tractors, sculptures of lions and mermaids with water spurting from their mouths.

Other inscriptions on the buildings included “Prince of Peace”.


His compound in Maryland, Lagos. Inset, Jesu Oyingbo, 1959.

Photo Credits: The National Mirror

It was an empire befitting the man who mixed Christianity, paganism and profit and rationalised his belief that he was the Saviour of the world. People often traced his power and charisma to attract followers to a cane he allegedly used to convert new adherents through supernatural means.

But, a source claimed that the cane was bequeathed to him by his grandfather.

It was also alleged that the books written by “Jesu Oyingbo’s” grandfather on herbalist practices were also passed on to him especially the books known as “IWE IWOSAN”, “IWE EGBOGI”, “IWE ISOJI” and “IWE ALA”. It was rumoured at a time in Lagos that these books were the sources of his powers.

When 'Jesu' died in 1988, as it is with a lot of polygamous families with no will written by the patriarch before he passed, his wives, children and members engaged in a legal brawl over the man's wealth and property. During the course of the dispute, a lot of shocking and disgusting things which had taken place in secret was revealed.

As the matter became prolonged in court, a lot of revelations were made through the testimonies of the plaintiffs, the defendants and their witnesses. These involved testimonies such as sexual perversion and large-scale incest that allegedly took place in the commune.
In fact, Ayo had told the court that most of the disciples, including himself, had chosen to adopt Immanuel as their surnames, adding that after Pa Odumosu’s demise, he inherited three of his wives. He saw nothing wrong in this act as it was the practice in the commune.

It was also in evidence that indeed, the late Odumosu not only founded the UCR, he was also a husband to more than 30 women and father of dozens. Among other testimonies in evidence were that inmates of the commune “slept with one another’s wives”. Other mind-boggling evidence adduced at the trial was that the late Pa Odumosu would direct that the wife of an errant member of the enclave be taken over by another man and put in the family way.

There was a testimony of how the late Pa Odumosu took over and married the wife of one of his disciples in a bid to punish the woman’s former husband for the treatment meted out to her.

After the close of the testimonies, Chief Ajayi and Prof. Kasumu addressed the court on behalf of their clients. On the day of the judgement, there were high expectations as both sides stormed the court with retinue of supporters.

In his judgement, Justice Ilori held that the late Odumosu’s children had established that the businesses and property in Maryland were owned by their father. The court came to this conclusion because the memorandum of association of the companies established by Jesu Oyingbo revealed that the late founder of UCR and few of his children were co-directors of the business concerns.

The judge further declared that there was large-scale incest that had persisted in the commune for several years. The judge gave judgement in favour of Olukayode and his siblings and he also directed the Lagos State Government to take over the commune and rescue those who were under hypnotism in the enclave.

The court also lifted the order of injunction restraining the children of the late Pa Odumosu from entering the commune.

After winning the case, Olukayode, immediately levied execution of the judgement and he evicted the adherents of his late father and other squatters occupying the premises of the UCR. As court bailiffs, in company of policemen got to the gates of the commune, some of the inmates hurriedly packed their personal belongings and left the compound. The inmates were eternally hopeful that Jesu Oyingbo would resurrect one day. But it appeared that they were living in illusion.

http://nigeria.gounna.com/show/show/70032/1

I wonder how Lagos fared in the 'rescue mission' of those under the so-called hypnosis... Anyway, this article below, written by the New York Times ten years after his death, gives an insight into the lives of some of his children and their relationship with one another.

The only ones left are 30 of his children, who wander through the remains, forlornly clutching pamphlets of their dead father's speeches.

Seye Immanuel, a 28-year-old son, stood on a second-floor balcony of the ''Prince of Peace'' building and pointed down to the empty courtyard, where the followers used to gather to watch movies every night.

''After he died, it stopped,'' Seye Immanuel said. ''Everything stopped.''

The center could not hold, and the place unraveled into factions fighting over the man's legacy and money, pitting longtime members against the children, mothers against sons and daughters. The church fell apart in recent years, after the eldest son took the longtime members to court.

After winning his lawsuit last year, the eldest son, Olukayade Immanuel, immediately evicted the members. As the legal owner of all his father's property, he allowed the children to stay. But now they accuse him of neglect and call him a thief.

The eldest son -- a 56-year-old, sumo-size man with oven-mitt hands that he likes to wrap around people's arms -- left his father's church in search of personal freedom. And yet he seems to crave his father's standing.

''I would never have talked to my father the way they talk to me,'' he said, adding that the children had violated the traditions of the Yoruba, his ethnic group and one of the three main ones in Nigeria. ''It's the way of Yorubaland. It's a structured culture. It makes for order. Follow that man! Follow the man! Not doing your own thing.''

''They do not show me respect as the senior man,'' he added. ''I will not give money before respect.''

Many Christian Nigerians have more than one wife. But he had 34 and had at least 40 children, said the children who remain on the compound, many of whom share striking facial similarities with their father.

''He was kind and generous,'' said Olulaja Immanuel, 29. ''He provided everything for me. When I wanted to go anywhere, we had our own cars and drivers.''

The drivers never let the children out of their sight. They were so sheltered that most still live in isolation, incapable because of their lack of education and social skills to venture much beyond Manor Street.

Bukola Immanuel, 25, was one of the few who was able to study, thanks, she said, to her mother who had immigrated to New York City and sent money. The young woman, an economics student at Lagos State University, began having doubts after her father's death.

''I don't accept him as my savior,'' she said. ''He's my biological father. I have only Jesus Christ as my savior.''

''I think my father was O.K.,'' she added, ''but I don't know.''

Longtime neighbors recalled an ebullient, boisterous man who made waves whenever he visited them, showing them movies with his projector, ingratiating himself even as he transformed the area into a carnival.

''He would crack jokes and make you reel with laughter from one corner to another,'' Virginia Akerele, 83, said with a smile. ''He and his followers used to disturb the neighborhood. Their voices would be all over the place. They used to wake us up early in the morning. We could not complain because that was his own way of worshiping God. We now have some respite with his death.''

Mrs. Akerele and her stepson, Tunde Akerele, 54, both Roman Catholics, said Jesus of Oyingbo never tired of trying to convert them. And even as they resisted, they ate the bread from one of his bakeries. ''His Good Luck bread was cheaper and better in quality than others sold around,'' Mr. Akerele said.

''Even the reverend fathers and sisters from the nearby St. Agnes Catholic Church used to come and buy his bread,'' Mrs. Akerele said.

''He was calling himself Jesus Christ and said he would never die,'' she added. ''We were surprised that he died.''

Not far from Manor Street, Olukayade Immanuel, the eldest son, stood outside the gates of his textile factory and shook his head.

''For six years before I broke from him, I said, 'You cannot force religion on people,' '' he said. ''I said, 'You must send these children to school.' ''

''And look what happened!'' the eldest son said. ''Look at this one. She's not even my father's daughter.''

Adeola Odumosu, a 24-year-old daughter, snickered. Just before she and Seye Immanuel took a reporter to the factory, she had called the eldest son ''greedy.'' ''He's wicked,'' she had said. ''He doesn't want to take care of us.'' Now, she pointed to the factory and accused him directly of building it with their father's money.

The eldest son laughed. The younger children stood many feet away from their brother and cowered when the big man turned brusquely, his belly swaying under his robe.

Just as abruptly, Olukayade Immanuel's mood brightened. He expressed optimism about the future.

''Nigeria has survived, and my father's movement will survive,'' he said.

And even though neither of the younger siblings had shown him any respect on this day, he asked them if they needed money and called them in behind the gates.

http://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/08/world/lagos-journal-after-carnival-of-second-coming-an-apocalypse.html

[img]http://cache4.asset-cache.net/gc/661422-members-of-the-jesus-of-oyingbo-cult-clean-off-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=RB0GINVKNSrglg3koBnvLYR7yjFenkaxz5NDyJxZCuqQBESjW5iqehOMmhNssCRU.jpg[/img]

I wonder how people get brainwashed. The mind boggles.

Sadly, we have several 'Jesu Oyingbo' in different guises and different manifestations. One thing they have in common is charisma and charm. You will need the aforementioned to charm women into abandoning their families, careers, lives and coming to live with you. A case in point being the late Ann, who was one of the many intimacy gadgets of that notorious bearded felon on death row in Kirikiri, Reverend King. Unfortunately, she woke up too late, because her lover doused her liberally with petrol and lighted up her universe. Her deathbed testimony was very instrumental to indictment and locking up of this man called Rev King.

Despite this, his followers still troop to Kirikiri to meet him for counseling and blessings.

Jesu Oyingbo had 34 wives, and practiced a most peculiar form of syncretism, yet he had followers who did not blink when he took over their wives. To add to this sickening mix, there was large scale incest in the 'movement'.

Now my, question is this: did men like Jesu Oyingbo and Reverend King use the age old hypnosis, aka Jazz, aka, African Technology to win their die hard followers, or was it charisma and charm?

Lets discuss.

?

Ishilove what's dis

Lol.
Ishilove is now more like ishi-rabble rouser.

plaetton:
Lol.
Ishilove is now more like ishi-rabble rouser.

Ha ha, veeery funny

Ishilove:

Ha ha, veeery funny

it would be a very nice write up if you can let us see his picture. And have you heard of Jesus of ikot ekpene in akwa ibom state . A false jesus during the year 2003 who deceived many by his miracles and before he died he claimed he will wake up after 3 days but up till today his story is an ignominy because we are still awaiting his resurrection

ProphetUdeme:
it would be a very nice write up if you can let us see his picture. And have you heard of Jesus of ikot ekpene in akwa ibom state . A false jesus who deceived many by his miracles and before he died he claimed he will wake up after 3 days but up till today his story is an ignominy

His picture is in the post.

Ishilove:

Ha ha, veeery funny

Na so I see am oo

Ishilove:
I was very young when this man died, but i do faintly recall he was very flambouyant and controversial. I have always found him fascinating, so i went digging and came up with bits and pieces of information about his shocking religious movement.



When 'Jesu' died, as it is with a lot of polygamous families with no will written by the patriarch before he passed, his wives, children and members engaged in a legal brawl over the man's wealth and property. During the course of the dispute, a lot of shocking and disgusting things which had taken place in secret was revealed.


http://nigeria.gounna.com/show/show/70032/1

I wonder how Lagos fared in the 'rescue mission' of those under the so-called hypnosis... Anyway, this article below, written by the New York Times ten years after his death, gives an insight into the lives of some of his children and their relationship with one another.


http://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/08/world/lagos-journal-after-carnival-of-second-coming-an-apocalypse.html

[img]http://cache4.asset-cache.net/gc/661422-members-of-the-jesus-of-oyingbo-cult-clean-off-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=RB0GINVKNSrglg3koBnvLYR7yjFenkaxz5NDyJxZCuqQBESjW5iqehOMmhNssCRU.jpg[/img]

I wonder how people get brainwashed. The mind boggles.

Sadly, we have several 'Jesu Oyingbo' in different guises and different manifestations. One thing they have in common is charisma and charm. You will need the aforementioned to charm women into abandoning their families, careers, lives and coming to live with you. A case in point being the late Ann, who was one of the many intimacy gadgets of that notorious bearded felon on death row in Kirikiri, Reverend King. Unfortunately, she woke up too late, because her lover doused her liberally with petrol and lighted up her universe. Her deathbed testimony was very instrumental to indictment and locking up of this man called Rev King.

Despite this, his followers still troop to Kirikiri to meet him for counseling and blessings.

Jesu Oyingbo had 34 wives, and practiced a most peculiar form of syncretism, yet he had followers who did not blink when he took over their wives. To add to this sickening mix, there was large scale incest in the 'movement'.

Now my, question is this: did men like Jesu Oyingbo and Reverend King use the age old hypnosis, aka Jazz, aka, African Technology to win their die hard followers, or was it charisma and charm?

Lets discuss.

No jazz, no magic.

The human mind is like clay.
It is very very malleable.
This goes to prove, and I have argued before, that there is no freewill.
The mind is always always fully or partially encumbered by the very nature of it's evolution.

We are hardly independent personalities viewing and judging reality from a distance. No.
Rather,we are a network of neural interactions, mirroring , expressing and trying to validate individual selves through our environments.

My point in all this is that the mind is porous and akways open to hacking and subtle manipulation, especially when you have the perfect combination of fear, superstition, ignorance and hopeless poverty.
Believe it or not, about 90%or more of people want to be controlled or led.
They want another person, a stronger mind, to define reality to them and break it down in small chewable bits, with plenty of sugar.
.
This is why Africa and other poverty laden societies provide the perfect inexhaustible resources for religious fraudsters and hustlers.

end time prophet

Ishilove, I think the charm mentioned in your post and the charm coupled with charisma are simultaneously used by present "Jesu Oyingbos" around. Of course, Nigerians are gullible and are easily deceived. An average Nigerian woman revers her pastor/prophet more than her husband and some of them see pastors to be God or a god. Gullibility+Charisma+Grace+"Jazz" walk hand in hand.

By the way, you did not mention the year of his death in your post. Could you please give the info?

**

People like him generally have charm (I don't mean 'jazz') and charisma.

Secondly, they understand that the majority of humans are deeply superstitious and they are able to exploit that human weakness.

I don't think it has anything to do with magical powers... unless skeptics and cynics (such as myself) are somehow immune to their magic.

Sanchez01:


By the way, you did not mention the year of his death in your post. Could you please give the info?

I've modified it. 1988.

Childhood memories......we used to buy bread from his bakery every Sunday on our way back from Church. Can't forget that Baba with pink lips who was always behind the counter...the smell of pastry was intoxicating! Can still remember the name of his bread was Goodluck

As a child, his Estate was scary with all those sculptures and the place was always dead silent, one felt as if he being 'spiritually watched'.

Loved visiting those caged Monkeys that was were the Protea Hotel Leadway, Maryland is presently located.

Childhood memories indeed! Baba said he would resurrect we still dey wait!

Religion and cunning fella

Generally, life is harsh frustrating and difficultg. Scamming is part and parcel of human life, just promise anybody anything cotinue to say it keep it simple and make the banal promise big then watch as people will do anything you say. I have tried it on people esp greedy women and so called sharp guys

it's obvious, the man really played on people's fantasies.
r.i.p Jesu

Pavore9:
Childhood memories......we used to buy bread from his bakery every Sunday on our way back from Church. Can't forget that Baba with pink lips who was always behind the counter...the smell of pastry was intoxicating! Can still remember the name of his bread was Goodluck

As a child, his Estate was scary with all those sculptures and the place was always dead silent, one felt as if he being 'spiritually watched'.

Loved visiting those caged Monkeys that was were the Protea Hotel Leadway, Maryland is presently located.

Childhood memories indeed! Baba said he would resurrect we still dey wait!

@bolded. That's odd. One would think the place would be a beehive of activities

Ishilove:

@bolded. That's odd. One would think the place would be a beehive of activities

For where? They were always indoors! The section facing lkorodu Road was always busy because that was where the business enterprise was-bakery, barbing salon, block making etc but behind it which is lmmanuel Street was like ghost town with those sculptures in front of the buildings! lt was scary!

I'm not surprised many people fell and still fall for their lies, in a place where superstition is the order of the day, what do you expect?

One of the best things that can happen to a person is to ditch religion.

Nice job Ishi i've listened to tales of this "jesu oyingbo" guy from my aged parents through the years infact i grew up with his stories ringing in my brain.. I would say looking at his evils and achievements one thing i know is a mere mortal wouldn't achieve such feats without some form of supernatural assistance which of course would be nothing but Jazz or witchcraft and the likes...Nice job here..

Nice one, Ishi baby.

Growing up, I heard a lot about Jesu Oyingbo - there's even an old gospel song that mentions him, but I didn't have all this information.

- These religious cults never end well. Examples abound.
- I have noticed a common thread in similar stories involves convincing the women to believe in you. Once that is done, the men would follow the women, it seems.
- I don't believe in jazz / hypnosis but I believe severe fear is a crippling experience. If you are able to isolate what someone truly fears, and you are a discerning and manipulative psychologist, they will be like putty in your hands because you can provide false hope in exchange as a solution for those fears. And, believe me, almost everyone has something they fear gravely.

eleyi o kin shey oju lasan o

we just wanna believe in something - or someone.. and once our mind is made up,, its hard to be honest and admit that whatever we believe in is flawed.. Can't imagine myself actually believing and worshipping this man..

Ishilove. Na me you ban for 1 week? If really you be babe and not an E-babe, i pray you get pikin outside wedlock.

Pavore9. For you to know about the bakery and bobo (the old caged chimp) means you really are a Maryland guy.

You forgot to also mention Mogambo.

As a young man that had his primary/secondary schooling close to this jesu oyingbo,we used to be warned against walking alone around that Emmanuel street, least we become slaves too.

Personally I feel most of the things said and written about him were lies. But, that I realized as an adult.

People fear what they don't understand I.E Denrele, T.B Joshua, Olumba, Patience Jonathan, Guru Maharaji.

In those days there were not an abundant of PR Gurus to launder ones images, so the stories about this man and his very secretive sect/church grew a lot, even if the man or his church never bothered anyone.

There was never a DNA test conducted to officially say the kids he had were inbreeding, but boy everybody that came out from the fenced walls of Emmanuel's compound looked like a carbon copy of one person.

The education in me keeps asking, how can one man father so many kids? How many times did he make love? I mean this guy would have to be getting at least 5 to 10 women pregnant everyday in his adult life to have so much kids.

Even this loud mouthed little boys on the romance section here, who think with what is in their boxers and brag about it childishly will not even be able to be sleeping with 2 or 3 women everyday, and that is why Jesu Oyingbo case is so confusing.

The only part about his church I still find disturbing was why he kept everybody under key and lock.

I remember the first day most came out the first time, they were looking all lost and admiring the Maryland express road, as if it was dubai.

What eventually happened to those kids?

But one thing is certain. What ever brand of religion he preached or practiced died with him.

N:B

Ishilove I Don dey follow you for Nairaland, Follow me back.

The spirit of falsehood is still around, there is one around Idimu area of Lagos currently.