Cameroon pastor Frankline Ndifor who ‘healed’ COVID-19 patients dies of virus

Frankline Ndifor, a popular Cameroon pastor and candidate in the central African state’s last presidential election, has died of COVID-19 a week after he prayed and laid hands on persons diagnosed with the coronavirus.

The pastor prayed for the COVID-19 patients at his home and his church and donated buckets and soap to the poor so they could wash their hands and protect themselves from the coronavirus.

Ndifor, who emerged seventh out of nine candidates in the last presidential polls with 23, 687 votes, was known as a miracle healer. He was reportedly sighted on April 20 in Douala’s streets distributing face masks.

According to VOA, Cameroon police used force to gain access to his residence in the capital city of Douala as some of his supporters blocked entrances, praying for his resurrection.

Local media reported that hundreds of followers sang Sunday morning at Ndifor’s Douala residence, saying that he is not dead, but rather on a spiritual retreat with God and will return soon.

In a release, the governor said he deployed police to force their way to Ndifor’s residence when his followers chased medical staff away, claiming that the pastor was on a spiritual retreat with God, rather than dead, and should not be buried.

Ndifor, who is popularly referred to as the “Prophet”, was buried in front of his residence Saturday by workers of Cameroon’s COVID-19 response team in Douala.

Doctor Gaelle Nnanga, who led the medical team that attended to Ndifor, said that some members of his Kingship International Ministries Church called him to come to the pastor’s aid when they found out he was in agony. “When the medical team arrived, Ndifor was having severe respiratory difficulties”.

He said the pastor died less than 10 minutes after they treated him, less than a week after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Following his death, many of his followers are in a state of fear. One of his followers, Rigobert Che told VOA: “This is a pastor that has been laying hands [on the sick] and claiming that he cures COVID-19”.

“If you, the person that claims that you are curing COVID-19, you are dead, what about the fellow people that were affected by the COVID-19? Now that he is dead, I do not know how the people that he was laying hands on will be healed,” Che added.