In 1997, when we launched the Heights Club, Drug & Cult-Free Club, Pastor Kunle Soriyan (PK) supported us with curriculum development and clarity of vision. Our first school engagement was at Aladura Comprehensive High School in Anthony Village, Lagos.

We held weekly meetings with students, teaching character formation, self-esteem, abuse awareness, values, critical thinking, and resilience against drugs and cultism. Our work was grounded in light, knowledge, and formation.

One afternoon, a young man lingered near our session. Eventually, he approached us and asked whether we had “considered the spiritual aspect” of helping the students.

When we asked what he meant, he introduced himself as a deliverance minister.

He told us he was trained under Rev. Umah Upai and heavily influenced by Rebecca Brown, author of He Came to Set the Captives Free. He insisted that drug attraction, cult involvement, and behavioral issues were primarily “spiritual bondage” and warned that our work would eventually “reach a stage” where we would realize we needed him.

The longer he spoke, the clearer his motives became:

1. He wanted a position in our work, without understanding it.
2. He attempted to manipulate us through fear.
3. He tried to impose doctrines that were not scriptural.
4. He completely bypassed the power of knowledge and formation.

He never once asked what we were teaching the students.

He did not request our curriculum.

He came with only one goal: to hijack the work through intimidation.

We told him, calmly but firmly that we did not need his services.

His disappointment was immediate. But the lesson was eternal.

The Modern Problem: How “Deliverance Ministries” Become Tools of Manipulation

Across Nigeria and the world today, this pattern has multiplied. A troubling strand of self-appointed deliverance ministers has emerged with predictable tactics:

• They replace knowledge with theatrics, despite Scripture saying, “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)
• They weaponize fear, controlling people through threats of invisible enemies.
• They pit families against each other, parents against children, spouses against spouses, siblings against siblings.
• They issue unscriptural rituals:
  specific prayer times, objects to use, instructions to follow, none found in the gospel.
• They insert themselves into people’s private decisions, turning spiritual guidance into psychological possession.
• They target the educated and accomplished, reducing PhD holders and professionals to followers who suspend critical thinking.
• They profit financially and emotionally from the confusion they create.

Paul warned us ahead of time:

“Do not be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by their cunning craftiness.” (Ephesians 4:14)

Real Deliverance Is Light, Not Drama

The young people we served in 1997 needed:

Identity, values, knowledge, character, self-esteem, clarity, decision-making skills, the power to say no, awareness of abuse, resilience, understanding of cult dynamics and the likes.

This is deliverance.

Jesus said:
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)

He did not say,
“You shall undergo rituals, and the ritual shall make you free.”

Spiritual maturity requires knowledge.
God works through truth, not intimidation.

Why I Share This Today

Every time I read stories of marriages broken, families divided, and destinies truncated by manipulative “deliverance ministers,” I remember that young man from 1997 who thought he could frighten us into surrendering our vision.

He failed.
But many today succeed—because ignorance is fertile soil.

Final Word

Stand firm.
Think clearly.
Know what you believe.
Reject spiritual fear-mongering.
Embrace biblical truth and personal responsibility.

Our faith is not a circus. Our spirituality is not a marketplace. And our minds must never be handed over to anyone who uses the name of God to achieve control, relevance, or profit.

Do have an INSPIRED week.