Buchi Atuonwu, the reggae gospel singer, has recalled his journey from being a cultist to finding redemption in Christ.
In a recent interview on the BlackFame podcast, Buchi, 60, revealed his experiences as a member of an occultic group during his time as a PhD student and lecturer at the university.
“I had a deeper understanding of the cult. Jesus showed me the meaning of the cult. That it was not a physical association. You cannot bring a knife to fight the battle of guns and hope to win. It is a spiritual thing. And much of what I was fighting, protesting was spiritual. So, a physical solution would not do. The spiritual angle of the cult I did not know about and was not ready for,” he said.
Buchi, a former lecturer at the University of Lagos, said he was the lead singer in a group of about 200 people, participating in midnight processions and rituals.
The gospel singer recalled a particular incident where he started hearing strange voices during one of the processions.
He said the voices became stuck in his mind, leading him to reevaluate his involvement in the cult.
“So, one day, I was in the company of about 200 people. And I was their singer with no microphone. The time was between 1 am and 2 am. I was in the bush somewhere. I had to be loud and commanding enough so that everyone would hear me. We were going on a voyage,” he said.
“Two people had coffins on their heads. Some carried a red lamp, signifying danger, and we were in a procession. I was leading in songs. The convoy was to my right. Then, from the left, someone spoke into my ears and said, ‘you do not belong here’.
“So, I was startled, but I could not stop singing. I kept singing because there was nobody there. They call it moving the deck. These were all young men and old, ready to do damage. There were 60-year-olds, 70-year-olds, 30-year-olds, and 20-year-olds.
“The cult is a leveller – The rich and the poor, people from all tribes were united by a cause, fervently pursuing a cause. The cult that tribe could not divide. The cult has very little to do with the university. As we moved on that procession, I heard that voice again. This time, it was clearer. I could not unhear what I have heard.”
Buchi said that after leaving the cult, he went into hiding, fearing police and rival groups. The singer said he became tired of living in hiding and decided to attend a church programme uninvited, which marked the beginning of his journey towards repentance and finding faith.
“And it stayed with me until the events that followed, going on hits, someone shedding blood, going underground, on the run from the police, from other cults. I was in hibernation. And this time, I was a lecturer. I was a PhD student,” he said.
“It was in my hibernation that I overheard someone invited another person to church.
“I became a lecturer at the University of Lagos at the age of 24. Churching was something I had stopped for a long. So, I tagged along. I was tired of going out only late in the night and looking over my shoulder every two blocks,” he said.
“What I saw in church was intriguing. I have never heard it before. I looked at them and they were either a fraud or had something I desperately needed.”
The songwriter revealed that when he saw one of the church members in deep worship, the “Holy Spirit ministered to me,” and he found redemption.
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