Chibuzo Emmanuel Obimma, known as Ebube Muonso (born August 18, 1980), is a Nigerian

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

priest who serves as the

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

of Blessed Iwene Tansi Parish in

Dunukofia Dunukofia is a Local Government Area in Anambra State, South-East Nigeria. Towns that make up the local government are Ukpo, the headquarters; Ifitedunu, Dunukofia Umunnachi, Umudioka, Ukwulu and Nawgu. It shares boundaries with Awka North, ...

Anambra State Anambra () is a States of Nigeria, state in Nigeria. It is located in the South East (Nigeria), South-eastern region of the country. The state was created on 27 August 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State and Ri ...

. He is the founder and head of Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry.

Early life and education

Obimma was born in Uruebo village,

Nkwelle-Ezunaka Nkwelle-Ezunaka is one of the five towns in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State Nigeria.It is a suburb of Onitsha. See also * Nteje * Awkuzu * Onitsha Onitsha ( or simply ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city on the eastern bank of the ...

, the youngest of seven sons of Bartholomew Obiechina Obimma, a tailor, and Grace Obimma (Ochiora), a clothing seller. He attended Ezunaka primary school and received his junior high education at St. Paul's seminary in Ukpor, then completed secondary education at All Hallows seminary in

Onitsha Onitsha ( or simply ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. Onitsha along with various cities and towns in southern Anambra State, northern Imo State and neighboring Delta State on the we ...

. He was ordained as a Catholic priest in August 2011 after studying at Pope John Paul Major Seminary in

Awka Awka () is the capital city of Anambra State, Nigeria. The city was declared capital on 21 August 1991, on the creation of a new Anambra state and Enugu state by bifurcation of the old Anambra State. The city of Enugu remained the capital of Enu ...

and at the Blessed Iwene Tansi Major Seminary in Onitsha; three of his brothers had previously studied for the priesthood without completing their studies, and he himself was suspended for a year on probation. He acquired his nickname ''Ebube Muonso'', 'Glory of the Holy Ghost', in seminary.

Career

After a brief period as a relief priest at St. Dominic's Catholic Church in Uke, Obimma was made a vicar at St. Charles Borromeo parish in Onitsha. Conflict with the parish priest led him to found Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry in Uke. the ministry is the largest in Onitsha diocese, draws thousands of worshippers, and in addition to charity, employs almost 20,000 people in schools and factories. After three years as a vicar, Obimma was then appointed the first priest of the new Blessed Iwene Tansi parish in

Umudioka Umudioka is a town in Dunukofia Local Government Area in Anambra State, Southeastern Nigeria. It is made up of 10 villages, and shares boundaries with neighbouring towns as follows: Ogidi, Ogbunike, Umunya, Umunnachi and Ifite Dunu. List of Vil ...

, on its creation in 2014–15. His ministry includes

signs and wonders Signs and wonders refers to experiences that are perceived to be miraculous as being normative in the modern Christian experience, and is a phrase associated with groups that are a part of modern charismatic movements and Pentecostalism. This ...

, and his prayers have been reported to be efficacious, including claims of

healings With physical trauma or disease suffered by an organism, healing involves the repairing of damaged tissue(s), organs and the biological system as a whole and resumption of (normal) functioning. Medicine includes the process by which the cells i ...

. He has preached against violent cultists in the state, and credits God's protection for his surviving multiple assassination attempts by armed gangs. In 2017 there were reports of a rivalry between Ebube Muonso and an older priest, Father Mbaka, founder of Adoration Ministries in

Enugu Enugu () verbally pronounced as "Enụgwụ" by the Igbo indigenes is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by the states of Benue and Kogi, Ebonyi State to the east and southeast, Abia State to the so ...

. Followers of each have called the other a

false prophet In religion, a false prophet or pseudoprophet is a person who falsely claims the gift of prophecy or divine inspiration, or to speak for God, or who makes such claims for evil ends. Often, someone who is considered a "true prophet" by some peop ...

. He later denied that there was any conflict between the two.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muonso, Ebube 1980 births Living people 21st-century Nigerian clergy Nigerian Roman Catholic priests People from Anambra State