Panic has gripped several hundred people after a popular Cameroon pastor and candidate in the central African state’s last presidential election, Frankline Ndifor, died of COVID-19 following his prayers that hundreds of his supporters cured of the coronavirus.
Hundreds of followers sang Sunday morning at Ndifor’s Douala residence that the man popularly referred to as the prophet is not dead, but he is rather on a spiritual retreat with God and will return soon.
Ndifor died and was buried in front of his residence Saturday by workers of Cameroon’s COVID-19 response team in Douala.
The governor of Cameroon’s coastal region, where Douala is, said in a release 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 follower Rigobert Che says the "prophet" last Wednesday prayed for him and several dozen people diagnosed with COVID-19, and some who suspected they were carriers or had symptoms.
