A Ghanaian man who triggered widespread public alarm with a viral prophecy predicting a catastrophic global storm has been detained by police, who say he has no religious standing and was merely posing as a prophet online.
The suspect, Evans Eshun, popularly known as Ebo Noah, was taken into custody by the Ghana Police Service following investigations into social media videos in which he warned of an imminent world-ending flood.
Speaking in an interview, the Director of the Special Investigations Unit at the Criminal Investigations Department, Chief Superintendent Seth Sewornu, said the suspect has no religious credentials and does not operate a church.
“He is a security man at a private school in Medina. He is not a man of God. He has no church, nothing,” Sewornu said.
Police said the suspect is now claiming that the videos were created purely as online content, a justification investigators find unconvincing given the public reaction to the claims.
Sewornu said the warnings caused fear and prompted some followers to take drastic action, including travelling long distances in anticipation of the predicted disaster.
“Somebody came all the way from Liberia to come and join the boat, and now he says he was just creating content,” he said.
The prophecy, which circulated widely in the weeks leading up to Christmas, claimed a massive storm or flood would engulf the world. When no such event occurred, the suspect released further videos suggesting the disaster had been postponed.
Authorities said investigations are continuing to determine whether the suspect violated laws relating to false communication and actions likely to cause public panic. No formal charges have yet been announced. (Newswire)