Media Team
Prominent sickle cell activist Aisha Edwards Maduagwu has disclosed that controversial clergyman Bishop Samuel Onyeagoziri Okorie, accused by a woman named Euphemia of a five-year affair, engaged in the relationship with both her consent and her father’s endorsement.
Euphemia had previously asserted that the Bishop demanded intimacy in exchange for spiritual intervention to address her health struggles.
After reviewing the evidence, Maduagwu has retracted her formal complaint filed with the Ebonyi State Police Command against the cleric.
The Bishop spent two weeks in police detention following the explosive allegations.
Initially outraged by the claims, Advocate Maduagwu had urged Governor Francis Nwifuru and Police Commissioner Adaku Uche-Anya to ensure the Bishop faced legal consequences.
However, she has since reversed her stance, citing deceit, manipulation, and ulterior motives behind the scandal.
Maduagwu further alleged that Euphemia colluded with a wealthy politician and a rival clergyman, leveraging her sickle cell condition to evoke public sympathy.
In an official statement released Tuesday, she declared, “As National Coordinator of the Association of People Living with Sickle Cell Disorder (APLSCD), representing over 400 members, I present my verified findings regarding the accusations against Bishop Sam Ndubueze Okorie by an SCD-afflicted individual. After thorough investigation, I officially retract my initial allegations.”
“Bishop Okorie personally apologized before legal witnesses, including his attorney and police officials, for prior misunderstandings. Having accepted his remorse, I consider this matter resolved.”
“My decade-long advocacy for sickle cell rights, including spearheading Anambra’s Sickle Cell Disease Control Law (2019), compels me to ensure justice. Investigations confirm the relationship began consensually in 2022 after the woman’s family personally introduced her to the Bishop in 2021. Her father explicitly sanctioned the union, hoping for grandchildren despite her health challenges—an arrangement incompatible with claims of coercion.”
“The Bishop’s substantial support included funding her education, providing transportation, securing medical care for chronic ulcers, and even donating blood during her transfusions—a rare sacrifice I deeply understand as a fellow advocate.”
“Notably, the complainant exerted unusual influence, relocating to the Bishop’s residence and controlling access to him by family members. Forensic timelines disprove her weaponized threats narrative; their intimate media exchanges were mutually recorded at her suggestion.”
“The emergence of private media coincides suspiciously with a reported phone theft weeks prior. This, alongside her abrupt reversal during police interviews after meeting a self-proclaimed ‘Apostle,’ suggests orchestrated manipulation.”
“This case underscores the dangers of reckless journalism—outlets prioritizing sensationalism over balanced truth-seeking damage all parties involved,” she concluded.
