Veteran reggae gospel singer, Buchi Atuonwu, has opened up about his past life as a cultist and his eventual journey to redemption through Christ.
Speaking in an interview Podcast hosted by fellow gospel singer Akinade Ibuoye aka Gaise Baba, the 60-year-old singer and former university lecturer shared his harrowing experiences and the turning point that led him to embrace faith.
Buchi, who once lectured at the University of Lagos, recounted his time as a leading figure in an occultic group while pursuing his PhD.
According to him, he once led a midnight procession of about 200 cult members, during which he had a profound spiritual encounter.
“I had a deeper understanding of the cult. Jesus showed me the meaning of the cult. That it was not a physical association. You cannot bring a knife to fight the battle of guns and hope to win. It is a spiritual thing. And much of what I was fighting, protesting was spiritual. So, a physical solution would not do. The spiritual angle of the cult I did not know about and was not ready for,” he said.
He described a chilling incident that marked the beginning of his awakening — a moment during one of the cult’s processions when he began to hear an unfamiliar voice speak directly to him.
“So, one day, I was in the company of about 200 people. And I was their singer with no microphone. The time was between 1 am and 2 am. I was in the bush somewhere. I had to be loud and commanding enough so that everyone would hear me. We were going on a voyage,” he said.
“Two people had coffins on their heads. Some carried a red lamp, signifying danger, and we were in a procession. I was leading in songs. The convoy was to my right. Then, from the left, someone spoke into my ears and said, ‘you do not belong here’.
“So, I was startled, but I could not stop singing. I kept singing because there was nobody there. They call it moving the deck. These were all young men and old, ready to do damage. There were 60-year-olds, 70-year-olds, 30-year-olds, and 20-year-olds.
“The cult is a leveller – The rich and the poor, people from all tribes were united by a cause, fervently pursuing a cause. The cult that tribe could not divide. The cult has very little to do with the university. As we moved on that procession, I heard that voice again. This time, it was clearer. I could not unhear what I have heard.”
Following this experience, Buchi said he went into hiding out of fear — both from law enforcement and rival cult groups. He described this period as one of intense isolation and spiritual conflict.
“And it stayed with me until the events that followed, going on hits, someone shedding blood, going underground, on the run from the police, from other cults. I was in hibernation. And this time, I was a lecturer. I was a PhD student,” he said.
“It was in my hibernation that I overheard someone invited another person to church.
“I became a lecturer at the University of Lagos at the age of 24. Churching was something I had stopped for a long. So, I tagged along. I was tired of going out only late in the night and looking over my shoulder every two blocks,” he said.
“What I saw in church was intriguing. I have never heard it before. I looked at them and they were either a fraud or had something I desperately needed.”
Buchi recalled how during that church visit, a moment of worship became the turning point in his life.
The songwriter revealed that when he saw one of the church members in deep worship, the “Holy Spirit ministered to me,” and he found redemption.
