A 46-year-old evangelist identified as Chidi Eke has died while fasting for 40 days and nights to seek God’s favour as he plans to open his own church in Eziala Nguru in Ngor Okpala council area of Imo State.
The Nations reports that the deceased had said he got a call from God asking him to go into ministry.
He announced that he would go to the wilderness in Imo to obtain powers from God, abandoning his wife and two children in Lagos since last year to embark on evangelism.
Reports say he had successfully concluded 21 days fast and decided to go ahead to do a 40-days dry fast.
“During the first and second week of his fast, people who had gone to their farms heard him singing and praying loudly. But after the third week nobody heard his voice again and most people thought that perhaps he must have gone deep into meditation. But one of his church members, Cyriacus Opara became worried and insisted that he needed to visit him at the forest.
“When Opara approached… they told him that they don’t actually know the exact location where he was and that Eke had earlier issued a stern warning that he did not want any visitor because he had left his phone and money at home and had only gone with his Bible and gown,” a resident told The Nation.
Opara and one other managed to make their way into the bush where the pastor had been camping only to find him dead.
“Eke returned to the village with the claim that he has come to answer the call of God”, one of his relatives said, adding that Eke is the only son of his mother.
Following the development, the community has banned people from fasting and praying in the bush.
KanyiDaily recalls that a 37-year-old Zambian pastor also met his untimely death after going hungry for 20 days in the name of fasting.
Pastor Samajomba was reportedly observing 30 days fasting but passed on in the early hours of the 20th day after he was found motionless by his wife and his death.
