Prophet, Eight Others Ordered to Pay ₦200m for Demolishing Egbesu Shrine

A Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State, has delivered a landmark judgment affirming the constitutional protection of traditional African religion by ordering Prophet Tamarauebi Elisha Owan, founder of Great God Holy Tabernacle, and eight others to pay ₦200 million in damages for the unlawful destruction of a traditional Egbesu shrine.

The presiding judge held that the actions of the prophet and members of his congregation were unconstitutional and a flagrant violation of the fundamental rights to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. In addition to the ₦200 million damages, the court issued a rare mandatory injunction directing the respondents to physically rebuild the traditional place of worship they destroyed.

The legal battle arose from an incident in December 2024 in Ojobo Community, Delta State. According to court records, Prophet Tamarauebi Elisha Owan, accompanied by members of his church, allegedly invaded the Osupele Benesede Opu Oru Temple, a historic place of worship dedicated to the Egbesu deity. The invasion, reportedly carried out under the claim of combating evil spirits, caused extensive structural damage to the temple and led to the destruction of priceless historical and cultural artifacts.

Following the incident, traditional rulers and custodians of the culture reported the matter to the relevant cultural authorities, leading to an investigation and the filing of a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the prophet and eight other members of his ministry.

Delivering judgment on 29 June 2026, the court rejected the notion of religious supremacy used to justify the attack, ruling that the harassment and destruction directed at traditional worshippers amounted to religious discrimination and violated their constitutional right to freedom of religion.

The court granted comprehensive reliefs against the first to ninth respondents, including the payment of ₦200 million in damages and an order compelling them to rebuild the destroyed Egbesu shrine, reinforcing the constitutional protection of every Nigerian’s right to practise their religion without intimidation or destruction.