In the beginning, there lived a man whose real names were Olufunmilayo
Immanuel Odumosu, but he fondly called himself “Jesu Oyingbo”. He was
highly revered, adored and venerated by his disciples and followers, who
believed that he loomed larger than life. He taught his adherents that
he was the real Jesus Christ and his presence on earth was his second
coming.
Indeed, many of Odumosu’s adherents had to sell their properties, forsake their families and joined the religious leader to build a spiritual enclave.
Although the self-styled religious leader proclaimed himself Jesu Oyingbo, he never shared any trait with Jesus Christ who resurrected the third day. In actual fact, he failed to resurrect the third day as he had prophesied.
Sources claimed that after Odumosu’s primary school education, he started a vocational training in carpentry with his uncle, Pa Odubela who eventually took him along to Lagos.
After his apprenticeship, Odumosu worked briefly as a carpenter at the Post and Telecommunications (P&T) Department of the Ministry of Communications in Lagos and thereafter he founded the Universal College of Regeneration (UCR) in the early 1950s. After the close of work at his carpentry shed, he would, on a daily basis, assemble his adherents under a tree and lectured them on the Bible, giving them spiritual speeches. Thus, his Oyingbo residence at the time gave him his lasting name. He then moved to Awoyokun Street, Ikorodu Road, Palmgrove and later Immanuel Street, Maryland, Ikeja.
He sharpened the concept of religion as a private business, an idea that seems commonplace now in Lagos and Southern Nigeria. More than 500 followers lived on his compound and worked in his businesses: a bakery, a restaurant, a barber shop, a construction company, and a printing plant.
His business acumen also covered areas such as property development, equipment leasing, among others.
Jesus Oyingbo was religiously tolerant, mixing, for example, Christian statues with Islamic and pagan symbols on his compound. But he was, perhaps too tolerant, in ways that drew accusations that he was operating a cult.
Passers-by would notice that some of his buildings on Immanuel Street, Maryland had the inscriptions such as ‘’Merciful and Mighty’’ and ‘’Everlasting Father,’’ surrounded by statues of Christ, caterpillar tractors, sculptures of lions and mermaids with water spurting from their mouths.
Other inscriptions on the buildings included “Prince of Peace”.

His compound in Maryland, Lagos. Inset, Jesu Oyingbo, 1959.
Photo Credits: The National Mirror
It was an empire befitting the man who mixed Christianity, paganism and profit and rationalised his belief that he was the Saviour of the world. People often traced his power and charisma to attract followers to a cane he allegedly used to convert new adherents through supernatural means.
But, a source claimed that the cane was bequeathed to him by his grandfather.
It was also alleged that the books written by “Jesu Oyingbo’s” grandfather on herbalist practices were also passed on to him especially the books known as “IWE IWOSAN”, “IWE EGBOGI”, “IWE ISOJI” and “IWE ALA”. It was rumoured at a time in Lagos that these books were the sources of his powers.
When 'Jesu' died in 1988, as it is with a lot of polygamous families with no will written by the patriarch before he passed, his wives, children and members engaged in a legal brawl over the man's wealth and property. During the course of the dispute, a lot of shocking and disgusting things which had taken place in secret was revealed.
Indeed, many of Odumosu’s adherents had to sell their properties, forsake their families and joined the religious leader to build a spiritual enclave.
Although the self-styled religious leader proclaimed himself Jesu Oyingbo, he never shared any trait with Jesus Christ who resurrected the third day. In actual fact, he failed to resurrect the third day as he had prophesied.
Sources claimed that after Odumosu’s primary school education, he started a vocational training in carpentry with his uncle, Pa Odubela who eventually took him along to Lagos.
After his apprenticeship, Odumosu worked briefly as a carpenter at the Post and Telecommunications (P&T) Department of the Ministry of Communications in Lagos and thereafter he founded the Universal College of Regeneration (UCR) in the early 1950s. After the close of work at his carpentry shed, he would, on a daily basis, assemble his adherents under a tree and lectured them on the Bible, giving them spiritual speeches. Thus, his Oyingbo residence at the time gave him his lasting name. He then moved to Awoyokun Street, Ikorodu Road, Palmgrove and later Immanuel Street, Maryland, Ikeja.
He sharpened the concept of religion as a private business, an idea that seems commonplace now in Lagos and Southern Nigeria. More than 500 followers lived on his compound and worked in his businesses: a bakery, a restaurant, a barber shop, a construction company, and a printing plant.
His business acumen also covered areas such as property development, equipment leasing, among others.
Jesus Oyingbo was religiously tolerant, mixing, for example, Christian statues with Islamic and pagan symbols on his compound. But he was, perhaps too tolerant, in ways that drew accusations that he was operating a cult.
Passers-by would notice that some of his buildings on Immanuel Street, Maryland had the inscriptions such as ‘’Merciful and Mighty’’ and ‘’Everlasting Father,’’ surrounded by statues of Christ, caterpillar tractors, sculptures of lions and mermaids with water spurting from their mouths.
Other inscriptions on the buildings included “Prince of Peace”.
His compound in Maryland, Lagos. Inset, Jesu Oyingbo, 1959.
Photo Credits: The National Mirror
It was an empire befitting the man who mixed Christianity, paganism and profit and rationalised his belief that he was the Saviour of the world. People often traced his power and charisma to attract followers to a cane he allegedly used to convert new adherents through supernatural means.
But, a source claimed that the cane was bequeathed to him by his grandfather.
It was also alleged that the books written by “Jesu Oyingbo’s” grandfather on herbalist practices were also passed on to him especially the books known as “IWE IWOSAN”, “IWE EGBOGI”, “IWE ISOJI” and “IWE ALA”. It was rumoured at a time in Lagos that these books were the sources of his powers.
When 'Jesu' died in 1988, as it is with a lot of polygamous families with no will written by the patriarch before he passed, his wives, children and members engaged in a legal brawl over the man's wealth and property. During the course of the dispute, a lot of shocking and disgusting things which had taken place in secret was revealed.
As the matter became prolonged in court, a lot of revelations were made through the testimonies of the plaintiffs, the defendants and their witnesses. These involved testimonies such as sexual perversion and large-scale Inbreeding that allegedly took place in the commune.
In fact, Ayo had told the court that most of the disciples, including himself, had chosen to adopt Immanuel as their surnames, adding that after Pa Odumosu’s demise, he inherited three of his wives. He saw nothing wrong in this act as it was the practice in the commune.
It was also in evidence that indeed, the late Odumosu not only founded the UCR, he was also a husband to more than 30 women and father of dozens. Among other testimonies in evidence were that inmates of the commune “slept with one another’s wives”. Other mind-boggling evidence adduced at the trial was that the late Pa Odumosu would direct that the wife of an errant member of the enclave be taken over by another man and put in the family way.
There was a testimony of how the late Pa Odumosu took over and married the wife of one of his disciples in a bid to punish the woman’s former husband for the treatment meted out to her.
After the close of the testimonies, Chief Ajayi and Prof. Kasumu addressed the court on behalf of their clients. On the day of the judgement, there were high expectations as both sides stormed the court with retinue of supporters.
In his judgement, Justice Ilori held that the late Odumosu’s children had established that the businesses and property in Maryland were owned by their father. The court came to this conclusion because the memorandum of association of the companies established by Jesu Oyingbo revealed that the late founder of UCR and few of his children were co-directors of the business concerns.
The judge further declared that there was large-scale Inbreeding that had persisted in the commune for several years. The judge gave judgement in favour of Olukayode and his siblings and he also directed the Lagos State Government to take over the commune and rescue those who were under hypnotism in the enclave.
The court also lifted the order of injunction restraining the children of the late Pa Odumosu from entering the commune.
After winning the case, Olukayode, immediately levied execution of the judgement and he evicted the adherents of his late father and other squatters occupying the premises of the UCR. As court bailiffs, in company of policemen got to the gates of the commune, some of the inmates hurriedly packed their personal belongings and left the compound. The inmates were eternally hopeful that Jesu Oyingbo would resurrect one day. But it appeared that they were living in illusion.
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