The family of the late Deborah Samuel has relocated to their permanent residence in Omokiri community in Aluu Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
They moved to the mini-estate of 14 self-contained apartments Tuesday night following a viral media report that the family was being harassed by their landlord over expired rent.
The late Deborah’s mother was cleaning the furnished apartment when I visited on Wednesday.
A neighbor who spoke for the family denied rumors that they were abandoned by the General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries (OPM), Apostle Chibuzor Gift Chinyere.
“Pastor asked them to move into the estate apartment he gave them,” she explained.
“He does not want them to live as tenants while they have an apartment where they collect rent from people. They just moved into two of the houses in the estate.’’
Pastor Chinyere came under criticism last week after a publication disclosed that the family's rent had expired and that they were being harassed by the landlord. The publication also said the family had no means of income despite the pledge by the pastor to take care of them.
But the neighbor said the story was not factual.
“People are misrepresenting what Deborah’s father explained to them. What they said is untrue and the pastor has come to refute such rumor that the family was harassed and abandoned.’’
The mini estate the Samuels moved into was gifted to them by Apostle Chineye after their daughter, Deborah, a 200-level student of Home Economics at Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto was lynched by Islamic extremists in May 2022.
They were angry with her protestation against religious posts on a course WhatsApp group.
Her killing by fellow students sparked nationwide outrage.
