Christ Mercyland Deliverance Ministry (CMDM) founder and chief prophet Jeremiah Fufeyin has announced that his spiritual products, including the 'Pool of Bethesda Water' and 'Red Sea Water', will no longer be sold.
Prophet Fufeyin’s statement comes after weeks of public scrutiny and pressure from social media activist Vincent Otse, known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), who questioned the legitimacy and regulatory approval of the sale of his spiritual products (miracle water, perfume, spiritual shirt, soap, mustard seeds and single-dose oil).
PREMIUM TIMES reported that VDM went a step further and tested the products, which claimed to have “miraculous healing powers”, on a large group of disabled people, but no results were observed. In defence of the Prophet on Sunday, he claimed that the products would not be effective unless they were backed by genuine love for him.
However, on Wednesday, during the church’s August 2024 Break the Boundary Program (Day 1), the publicity-loving prophet reversed his stance, stating that anyone who sold his spiritual products would be cursed.
He said, “I want to make it clear to all of you tonight. Spiritual items are not for sale. I will curse anyone who sells you these spiritual items because they are not for sale.”
The 53-year-old prophet noted that users must register on CMDM to receive the spiritual items for free, which will be prayed upon, stressing that proper guidance will be put in place to avoid chaos.
“You (users) have to go and register on the mountain (CMDM), then they (product managers) will give it to you for free. You will pray on it on the mountain, and then I (Fufeyin), your prophet, will tell you how to use it. You will be surprised because you are not here to test; you already believe. Do not test it; my prayer is that you believe. Do not test why we register because we want to control the crowd.
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“Something that has no instructions or guidance is useless. We can tell everyone to rush out and grab the spiritual items, but no, it will just stampede them. That’s why we have to guide them to receive the blessings, and anyone out there selling them will receive a curse from me.”
NAFDAC Number
However, VDM, responding to the Prophet's controversial comments on Saturday, said on Instagram: “I went to his page and now he says he is giving it for free. Papa (Prophet Fufeyin), even if you provide it for free, you must still have a NAFDAC number, which you must provide.
The self-proclaimed activist compared the sale of the products to ValueJet, a private Nigerian airline, noting that despite having fewer passengers than the Fufeyin congregation, ValueJet ensures that its “free” water is properly regulated.
He said: “Yesterday when I arrived from Abuja to Lagos, I used ValueJet. They don’t sell products. They only give water to people inside the plane, and ValueJet Water still has a NAFDAC number. And don’t talk about you (Fufeyin), you have many people sitting in your church. You must have a NAFDAC number before you distribute anything that people ingest or use on their skin. It is mandatory.”
Products still on sale
Although the prophet announced the removal of certain products from his church's offerings, VDM claims there are still some questionable items on the website.
He said: “You (Fufeyin) said you are not selling anything anymore, but what is this ‘Cash Flow ATM Card’? The EFCC should take up this case. Are you going to put cash into your account without you working? Is it that when you buy this ATM card, you insert it and it starts dispensing cash? I see it as fraud.”
VDM also criticised the continued sale of the “I Must Carry My Samuel Apple” which is priced at $12 (approximately N20,000). He questioned the logic behind such exorbitant prices for what is marketed as a spiritually enhanced fruit. “Is it that when you eat this apple, you get pregnant and start having Samuels? No matter how spiritual this is, it is too much for an apple.”
The activist noted that handkerchiefs are still available for $2 (N3,200), raising concerns about monetisation within the church. VDM threatened to lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Police Force-National Cyber Crime Centre (NPF-NCCC). “Any product they produce must have a NAFDAC number. It is not a question of miracle or no miracle. I will write a letter to the NPF-NCCC.”
Controversy is not new for Prophet Fufeyin, who has been selling and advertising faith-based products such as 'Red Sea Water' since 2019.
Checks by this newspaper on the church’s website show that spiritual products were also sold to people in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Its spiritual items have long been promoted as having “miraculous powers” but the recent backlash, spearheaded by VDM, has intensified scrutiny.
VDM, known for his activism, described it as “exploitative religious practices”, arguing that they lacked the necessary regulation by NAFDAC.