In Ghana, 31st December watch night service has become a major Christian calendar event and over the years, the issuance of prophecies foretelling the events of an upcoming year has equally become synonymous with the services held on New Year’s Eve.
After taking office as Inspector General of the Ghana Police Service in August 2021, Dr George Akuffo Dampare instituted several reforms which included reviving and enforcing existing laws.
A few days before New Year’s Eve in December 2021, the Ghana Police Service released a statement cautioning pastors to desist from issuing prophecies that are misleading and can cause fear.
The statement by the police was premised on provisions in the constitution that prescribe as a crime the publication or production of a statement, rumour or report that is likely to cause fear and alarm.
According to the police, such an offence makes any culprit liable to a prison term of not less than five years.
With this caution on the back of their minds, several Ghanaian prophets, despite their protestation, realigned the delivery of their prophecies during their watch night service on December 31, 2021.
Several strategies were adopted by some pastors and prophets who have over the years carved a niche for themselves when it comes to 31st-night prophecies.
With the use of several literary devices, many prophecies were issued about Ghana in a way that sought to manoeuvre around the caution of the police.
The founder and leader of Prophetic Hill Chapel, Prophet Nigel Gaisie, was a classical example of the evasive strategy.
Right before delving into his prophecies, the controversial pastor issued a disclaimer saying his prophecies will be about a nation called Umuofia and not Ghana.
According to him, when the lord manifested the prophecies to him in the spirit, it was for the nation of Umuofia and not Ghana.
Strikingly, however, were the similarities between details about the nation of Umuofia and Ghana as disclosed in his prophecies.
From names of individuals, regions, towns, institutions, political parties and elections, Prophet Nigel Gaisie delivered dozens of prophecies about the nation of Umuofia with details that directly point to Ghana. He also prophesied about other foreign countries.
In the same vain, several popular prophets, including Prophet Badu Kobi of Glorius Wave Church International; Reverend Isaac Owusu Bempah of Glorious Word Power Ministries and Archbishop Salifu Amoako of Alive Chapel, all issued their prophecies, albeit along the lines of caution.
The prophecies, which some people describe as “doom prophecies”, largely bordered on impending deaths, catastrophes as well as the prospects of the Ghanaian socio-economic and geopolitical landscape in the year 2022.
Sometime in 2022, the police would issue an invitation to Prophet Nigel Gaisie over his December 2021 prophecies but later cancel the invitation.
In all the controversies courted by his Umuofia prophecies, Nigel Gaisie maintained that he towed the confines of the police directive and can therefore not be used as a 'scapegoat'.
A few days before the 2022 New Year’s Eve, the Ghana Police Service in a statement issued on December 27, 2022, reminded prophets and pastors of the consequences of “illegal communication of prophecies.”
According to the police, the caution in 2021 “contributed greatly in creating an environment where people are able to freely profess their faith without unnecessary anxiety and fear of impending death or harm.
“As the year 2022 draws to a close, we wish to once again entreat the general public, especially faith-based groups to ensure continuous compliance with the law as it relates to the communication of prophecies."
“Let us continue to remember that whereas we have the right to practise our faith in religion, freedom of worship and speech, this right must be exercised in the violation of the rights of others and the public interest,” the police statement added.
Once, again the police directive has attracted varied reactions with some prophets calling it a bluff.
Prophet Nigel Gaisie, who has reacted to the reminder, has been clear to state that he will not be cowed by any threat from the police.
Despite his attempted show of bravado, the events of December 31, 2022, like the recent police statement remind us that prophets and pastors have taken a cue from the caution issued by the police and will most likely tow the line when the holy spirit descends during watch night service of December 31, 2022.
GA/DA
The Ghana Police Service has reminded prophets against