Why Ghana government dey ask prophets to submit dia prophesies for 'review' and escalation
Dis dey come days afta di tragic military helicopter crash wey kill five govment officials and three crew members for Ghana.
Afta di disaster, videos don comot from some pastors and prophets wey bin show say dem prophesy about di tragedy.
On top social media, di clips bin show some of di men of God during dia various church services wey dem bin warn say "make Ghana pray for dia govment officials, some of dem bin dey under attack wey dem fit die."
In fact, during di 31 December annual watch night service for di kontri, at least three of di popular pastors wey dey release prophesies every year, tok say many planes go crash for di world wey pipo go die including Ghana.
Prophet Eric Boahen Uche of di Reign House Chapel International and Apostle Isaac Owusu-Bempah from di Glorious Power Ministries International na among di pastors wey don use dia 31 December 2024 watch-night service to reveal dis mata.
Some of di pastors don bash govment officials and oda celebrities say dem refuse to contact dem ova dis kind prophesies in order to pray and prevent dem.
Inside one video, Apostle Isaac Owusu-Bempah tok during im church service after di 6 August crash say "I don send message to one ogbonge govment official say make im no use plane to travel to any part of di kontri else im go die."
According to Owusu-Bempah, "dis govment official don toss me, im always dey tok say e go come today, next week, next month, but im neva show up make we discuss di prophesy and take di direction God don give."
Di man of God lament say sometimes, di ogbonge pipo wey di prophesies dey concern, no dey make diaserf available, na so di disasters go continue.
Police don warn prophets against prophecies wey dey cause 'fear and panic'
For 2021, di Ghana police service under di former Inspector General of Police Dr George Akuffo Dampare bin try to 'regulate prophesies' for di kontri.
According to di police at di time, "communicating prophesies of harm, danger and death by some religious leaders bin dey create tension and panic for di kontri wey e dey put di lives of many pipo in fear and danger."
Inside one statement, di police announce say, "na crime to publish or reproduce statement; rumour or report wey dey likely to cause fear and alarm to di public or disturb public peace, wen pesin no get evidence to prove dia statement, rumour or report dey true."
Di police also add say "pesin wey dey guilty under dis law go dey liable to term of imprisonment for up to five years."
Every year since 2021, di police dey remind di religious groups bifor dia 31 December watch-night services to dey careful of di prophesies and how dem dey tok am.
Police arrest some prophets over dia prophesies
Police bin arrest one prophet and counselor Daniel Yaw Donkor for 25 July 2025 afta im make controversial prophecy say dancehall artiste Shatta Wale go die.
Di video of di prophecy bin go viral wey make di musician vex.
Im use im social media account to condemn di prophecy wey im give di police one week to arrest di prophet or im go take di mata into im own hands sake of im dey cause fear and panic.
After di police arrest, prophet D Y Donkor issue statement to apologise to di musician.
Di prophet tok say, even though di revelation na from God, im no get di intention "to cause fear and panic."
On 7 August, police bin put Rev. Donkor bifor court wey dem charge am wit "publication of false news".
Im plead 'not guilty' to di charge.
Dem tok say make di police focus on police duties and leave pastors to also do dia work as spiritual pipo.
One ogbonge preacher Prophet Nigel Gaisie wey also bin dey prophesy many tins about govment pipo and oda celebrities for di kontri and outside di kontri, fire di police at di time.
Im tok say, "Ghana police get to dey busy arresting criminals for govment wey dey make life hard for citizens and leave prophets alone."
"Plenty cases dey wey police no solve - killings, galamsey, robberies, make police focus on dis tins, make nobody disrespect di role of di prophet for building dis kontri," im tok.
Since 2021, some of di men of God now begin to prophesy wit parables and code names, so say police no go arrest dem.
But wit di recent military helicopter crash wey bin kill di defence and environment ministers, di national disaster management organisation deputy director general, deputy national security coordinator, govment party vice chairperson and di three flight crew, pastors tok say pipo get to take dia prophesies serious.
Wetin govment go do wit di prophesies wey pastors go submit to dem?
Presidential envoy for interfaith and ecumenical relations for di office of di president don tok say im bin get plenty messages for inbox.
Oga Elvis Afriyie Ankrah explain say "many of di prophets and pastors bin complain say dem no dey get access to ogbonge govment officials wey dem dey get prophesies about dem."
"Sake of di lack of access, sometimes dem no fit dey connect to dis pipo to share di prophesies and give dem direction to prevent disaster," oga Afriyie Ankrah explain.
Na so im release statement to invite pastors and prophets to submit any prophesies about govment officials and di presidency to im office.
"We don inform all prophets and spiritual leaders say make una relay your prophesies or spiritual insight of national nature to di office for di presidential envoy for urgent review and appropriate escalation."
Di statement add say, "dis prophesies and insights na those wey get implications for high profile govment officials and political leaders, national security and public stability."
Di govment explain say "dis na in di spirit of responsibility, discernment and stewardship ova di destiny of di kontri."
Already, some men of God don begin to reveal say more disaster go hapun for di kontri including assassination attempt on di president among odas.
Na so di presidential envoy tok say make pipo pray for di president, di govment and oda state institutions as well as di bereaved families from di 6 August helicopter crash victims.
Reactions to di latest presidential envoy directive
On top social media, many pipo tink say dis no be good idea, while some dey wonder how di govment go review and escalate di prophesies, odas dey wonder if dis na necessary tin at dis time.
Some also believe say many of dis pastors no be genuine.
"Many of dis prophets na fake, dem bin dey use psychology to make dis kind pronouncements," Joseph Asamoah tok BBC News Pidgin.
For Mercy Yorke, dis na good step sake of "dis go allow make dem take measures to pray and prevent tragedy like di one wey hapun on 6 August."
But some oda pipo tink say dis new directive go open di floodgates for many "charlatans to rise and cash in".
Di Christian Council of Ghana tok say anytin wey go sanitize di system dey welcome, even though dem go meet wit di presidential envoy over di matter.
One tok tok pesin for di opposition new patriotic party (NPP) Denis Miracle Aboagye bin ask "why di kontri get presidential staffer for prophesies?"
Im tok on top local radio station Okay FM say im no understand say di govment get pesin in charge to collect prophesies from pastors.
"No be dis same govment wey bin dey criticize di former government say dem get executive director for di national cathedral wey dem neva build finish wey di govment dey pay am?"
Oga Aboagye bin also ask "wetin dis job be wey di minister for chieftaincy and religious affairs no fit do am?"
Despite di criticism wey don greet di announcement, some prophets believe say na good tin.
General overseer for ultimate charismatic center Prophet Agyemang Prempeh for one interview wit one blog Zhikay Ikejunior say "dis initiative go reduce di excesses wey don dey hapun wit dis prophesies especially afta di helicopter crash situation don hapun."
Im explain say, "e go help make di pastors and prophets access di office of di president whenever di revelations come, afta dis, nobody go tok say dem bin dey try to reach di pipo for govment wey dem no fit."
But im also take time to explain how di prophetic bin dey work.
"Some of di tins wey God dey reveal get different ways to deal wit dem, some of dem, you fit pray ova dem without say you go tell pesin, some of dem, you get to engage di pipo; like di Bible tok say God don tok prophet Isaiah to inform king Hezekiah say im go die, di prophet go deliver di message; na so Bible tok say di king imsef bin pray about am wey God switch di situation around wey im send di prophet to tell di king say im bin add anoda 15 years to im life."
If di word don come, pipo get to take steps, but "dis days, some pipo no dey believe di channel, some no believe di message wey odas no believe di vessel."
But di man of God believe say tins get to change going forward.
"Even if you doubt wetin one prophet tok about your life, you get to still go to di word of God and pray to cancel am or to ask God for direction; sake of di prophetic na real."
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