Pastor who made false prophecy on Cameroon-Nigeria match body-shames an influencer

A self-proclaimed prophet, popularly known as Elijah Abiri, has come under fire for body-shaming a renowned Cameroonian influencer and philanthropist, Mama Atalaku.

The duo was a guest on a Facebook live show on the Roy Mamah Show page that streamed on Wednesday, January 31, 2024.

Mama Atalaku, whose real name is Christy Newuh, joined the live show a few minutes after Abiri to talk about the false prophecy delivered by the pastor on the Cameroon-Nigeria game.

Abiri had ‘predicted’ that Cameroon would win the game, which took place on Saturday, January 27, 2024.

“I’m so excited to hear that Njie and Aboubakar are set to face Nigeria, and Nigeria will have to take 3:1 home in favour of Cameroon. One of them will have given a winning goal for Cameroon to qualify for next round of tournament. I am a prophet sent by God. So, shall it be?” Abiri said in his prophecy.

But it never materialized, as Cameroon lost to Nigeria 0-2, leaving the 2023 AFCON in the round-of-16 stage.

‘I Am Sorry’

During Wednesday’s livestream, Abiri apologized to his Cameroonian followers and said it was not a prophecy but a revelation that was never meant to automatically come true. “I am sorry; the way I put out the message was not clear to everyone. I am sorry about that,” he muttered.

“God showed me, and I was confident about it; that is why I spoke with authority and power. I did not say it was a prophecy,” Abiri said, adding that “for the revelation to have come to pass, the players had to bathe with salt and olive oil.”

“When a prophet gives instructions, they should be respected; my instructions were not followed.”

He went on to say that he was driven by patriotism. “Most of the people that got angry with what I said were gamblers. People called me even from Nigeria and said, ‘Promise, you know how much money I lost?’

“The ways of God are not the ways of men,” he added.

Why Things Escalated

Mama Atalaku joined the show and tried to caution the self-proclaimed man of God to exercise caution when dealing with such matters.

She urged Abiri to focus on salvation and desist from seeking validation on social media, and acting like an “influencer prophet.”

“If truly this was a prophecy,. Why are you sorry for doing God’s work? Not all prophecies come to pass, and as a man of God, if you believe that, you won’t be sorry for that one that didn’t come to pass,” quizzed Mama Atalaku.

She went on to say, “He will not change from being a man of God because a prophecy did not come to pass. Those of you insulting him are fake; you already have your negative views about MOG. That’s why I’m not happy with him apologizing. You have a ministry to lead. His apologizing was like doing guesswork.”

“It will not change him from being a man of God. My problem is that most of you may lose validation. You are getting out of hand. You want to step into every trending thing. I’m talking to all men of God. Not specifying which one.”

But this did not go down well with the pastor, who suddenly referred to Mama Atalaku as “fat.”

Abiri did not end there. “Now, I will release a curse on you. If I were a man of God. I curse you. You see that little money you have now? You will become a beggar. That thing that is giving you the shoulders to talk to me, let it be taken away from you. Are you not fat?”

He further insinuated that the host, Roy Mama, and Christy Newuh had planned to gang up against him. “I understand your games. I said she’s fat; it’s not an insult. She is naturally fat; that’s not a lie. She is fat because she eats well. I was just referring to how she is enjoying herself.”

“Shame on you; you are a disgrace and should not be called a man of god,” Mama Atalaku said, while insisting that the ‘cursing’ will never materialize.

Who Is Elijah Abiri?

Elijah Abiri is a Limbe-based evangelist who calls himself a prophet of God. Abiri is married with five children.

He is known for always beefing with another self-acclaimed prophet, Orock Betang.

Abiri has, on a series of occasions made false prophecies about major happenings, celebrities, and authorities in Cameroon.

“#HenryOrock has been the most clout-chasing man with the Bible in the history of Cameroon, lying and using celebrities and events to gain fame. His fakeness is so visible, but he is smart and well educated. The other one is apparently jealous of him and wants to use the same strategy… The same people who have been praising the fake Prophet Orock are now condemning Elija. Same sins, but different reactions,” wrote Dr. Menjo, a renowned Cameroonian blogger and social critic.

“There are a lot more fake prophets than real men of God, and sometimes real prophets are misunderstood,” he added.

Mimi Mefo Info

Washira Helene contributed to the article