Faith-based organization affirms corporate status contrary to claims by factional group
Senator Beobarakuma Degi, Secretary, General Affairs of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star (BCS) on Friday, April18 at a press briefing held at the world headquarters, 34 Ambo Street, Calabar, reaffirmed the organisation’s corporate standing and leadership
The briefing, convened under the authority of His Holiness Olumba Olumba Obu aimed to dispel claims made by a dissident faction led by Victoria Clarke, which held a rival conference in Uyo on 1 March 2025.
Senator Degi started by paying tribute to Leader Olumba Olumba Obu, the Sole Spiritual Head of the Universe and founder of BCS, praising his establishment of the “new Kingdom of God on earth” in fulfilment of Daniel 2:44.
He outlined the faith’s origin in Biakpan, Cross River State, where Obu’s reputation for peace, supernatural wisdom and teachings led to the formal registration of BCS with Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in 1964. Under his stewardship, the organisation has grown into a global Christian movement with permanent places of worship on multiple continents.
According to Degi, the dominant discourse in the press briefing was the “incontrovertible” leadership of His Holiness Olumba Olumba Obu, officially crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords in 1999. He explained that BCS governance derives from divine anointment rather than electoral or civil processes, noting that trusteeship exists solely to satisfy regulatory requirements and does not confer spiritual authority.
In the press conference meant to address claims by the factional group that it had lawfully replaced the BCS Board of Trustees, Degi recounted the group’s unsuccessful attempts, beginning with their 2018 CAC registration of a separate entity named “Brotherhood of the Cross and Star New Kingdom Ministry” and a 2020 lawsuit challenging the 2014 trustee appointments.
He said although a High Court judgment in May 2022 annulled those appointments, BCS successfully filed an appeal and secured a caveat on the CAC file on 2 June 2022, preventing any valid change of trustees pending the appeal.
But despite the caution, the dissidents procured a fraudulent trustee certificate dated 15 January 2025. The CAC, upon review of BCS’s legal submissions, withdrew that certificate on 26 February 2025.
The Secretary also highlighted instances of unlawful conduct by the breakaway faction, including the forceful occupation and desecration of the Nsikak Eduok Bethel in Uyo on 20 October 2024, an action already condemned by an Akwa Ibom State High Court ruling of 17 October 2024.
BCS’s corporate status remains unchanged: the world headquarters at 34 Ambo Street, Calabar; pilgrimage site at the Holy City of Biakpan; and a Board of Trustees comprising Leader Olumba Olumba Obu, His Holiness Olumba Olumba Obu and ten others officially recognised members as per the CAC portal, he said.
Degi urged media outlets, social media influencers and the public to disregard the breakaway group’s assertions and to continue recognising the authorised BCS leadership.
And concluding the briefing, the spokesperson reiterated BCS’s mission of universal love and peace, invoking Matthew 24:14 to underscore the faith’s global evangelistic mandate.
He advised all adherents and stakeholders to remain vigilant against misleading claims and to support the “solid and unshakable rock” upon which the Brotherhood was founded.
By: Archibong Emmanuel
(Snr. Reporter)
