A South African based Ghanaian cleric Nana Poku has sent social media into a frenzy after a photograph of him in handcuffs and sitting in the back of a police van surfaced online.
The Kingdom Prayer Ministry leader was arrested for allegedly flouting lockdown regulations. He was arrested in the dead of night together with a 23-year-old woman, whom he claims is his assistant.
After news of his arrest surfaced, social media was awash with various theories of the circumstances leading to the cleric’s arrest, with the most popular being that, he was caught red-handed having illicit sex with the woman, whose identity has not been disclosed.
However, following the adultery allegations, the cleric took to social media and dismissed the rumours as false.
Speaking in a video which he posted on Facebook on Sunday, Prophet Poku said that when the law enforcement officers pounced on him, he was coming from helping those worst affected by the nationwide lockdown.
‘Something is going on on Facebook. Everybody is talking about it. People are saying Nana Poku’s been arrested. Beloved, don’t panic. I’ve not been arrested. They put me in their car and said I must produce a permit,’ poku said in the video.
‘When I went there I didn’t have a permit. I’m always going around midnight or any time because I have a permit to move around.’
Soon after releasing the video, his followers posted words of encouragement and love towards Poku. However, most claimed accused him of telling lies. Unfortunately for Prophet Poku, his explanation only managed to arouse more suspicion after police released a statement which contradicted with his claims.
‘The pastor and a 23-year-old female were found in a parked vehicle next to the road in Rustenburg East by police who were doing special Covid-19 patrols. They were both arrested for failure by a person to be confined to residence during lockdown,’ said Naidoo.
They were issued with fines of R1 000 each. They’re expected to appear in court on 24 June. When Daily Sun contacted Poku, he insisted his version of events was true.
‘I was not parked on the side of the road. I was moving. I couldn’t immediately stop the car when police stopped me because it was dark. I pulled off a bit further. I was driving with a woman at the time of the arrest. We were not having sex and there was no alcohol in the car as people claim.
She’s a church member and helps me distribute food to over 20 people who’ve been housed in the church since lockdown rules were introduced. I have three houses. One of them is worth R3 million. I can’t sleep with a woman in a car.’
