Bauchi PFN Chair, Emmanuel Ogbeba, dies at 69

Bauchi PFN Chair, Emmanuel Ogbeba, dies at 69

The Chairman, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bauchi State chapter, Rev. Emmanuel Ogbeba, is dead.

Ogbeba, who hailed from Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, died at the age of 69.

He was the founder of Potter’s House Church, Bauchi, which has two branches in the state.

A PFN Pastor who refused to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the Press on the matter, confirmed the incident to our Correspondent on Friday night.

He said that although he died on Thursday night, it was not officially announced until Friday morning after an emergency meeting of the body was held where a very senior pastor and chairman of the advisory council, announced the incident.

According to the source, Ogbeba, who is in the second year of his tenure as the Bauchi State PFN chairman, had been sick for some time.

“It happened late Thursday night at about 11pm, but it wasn’t announced because of the sensitivity of the story. It was this morning that the news was broken.

“The PFN called for an emergency meeting at Harvest Field Church, Yelwa, which was chaired by the Chairman of the Advisory Council, Rev. Nathaniel Odekunle, and it was at that meeting that he officially announced the incident.

“Prominent pastors in the state were present. And from there, all of us moved to his house to greet them although a few family members were there.

“He has been in Ibadan, Oyo State, for about three weeks now and he was in the hospital receiving treatment,” the source said.

He added that the deceased was first admitted at the Catholic Hospital in Bauchi for a while, where he underwent treatment.

“They treated him there and he was a bit okay, but the doctors there still requested he should be monitored.

“So, they called Daddy G.O. (Pastor E.A. Adeboye, General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God) as the church has one big hospital in Ibadan.

“He (Daddy G.O.) made arrangements that they should fly him to Ibadan. He even made provision for his flight and everything and he was flown there and since then, he has been there until that yesterday night that he died,” he said.

According to the source, “Rev. Nathaniel said during the meeting that he and some other senior pastors in the state spoke with him on phone around 10pm yesterday and they prayed with him.

“That it was about 30 to 45 minutes later that they called him that the man was gone. It is a very shocking news.”

In a terse post on Facebook, the first son of the deceased, Pastor Jerry Ogbeba, also confirmed the demise of his father.

He wrote: “Smiling in Glory. Our father, Rev. Emmanuel Ogbeba, has gone to be with the Lord. Peaceful rest.

“We love you and wanted you to stay by all means, but God’s will prevails.”

Left to mourn him are a wife and five children.