The pastor who, along with his wife, held a man so that their daughter could pour hot water on him on Saturday, told iWitness on Wednesday that they are engaged in “spiritual warfare”.
The incident took place in a drain along the public road in Hopewell, Mesopotamia, near the home of the pastor and his family.
The victim, 37-year-old mason Cuthbert “Mafia” Victory of Caruth Village, Mesopotamia, suffered burns to his back, shoulders, chest and face.
The incident gained national attention on Wednesday when a video of it emerged on Facebook.
There has been widespread condemnation of the act by the pastor, Nigel Morgan, his wife, Althea Morgan, and their daughter.
Mr. Morgan is a former teacher who now works at the Ministry of Culture.
He is said to conduct a children’s Christian ministry on the ground floor of his house and was a featured act at the launch of the National Gospel Fest at Victoria Park on April 3.
“No comments please. This is a spiritual warfare,” Mr. Morgan told iWitness News Wednesday night outside his home in Hopewell, Mesopotamia.
“No comments. There is nothing about that video. You all have to put up the whole thing,” said the pastor who was standing in his yard along with his wife and another person sometime after 8 p.m. when iWitness News visited.
Mrs Morgan, an office worker at a local newspaper, told iWitness News that there are four parts to the video and said the burn victim assaulted her.
“There is one, two, three, four parts,” Mrs Morgan said, as her husband remarked, “Don’t get involved.
“Do not get involved. No comment. This is spiritual warfare,” he said, adding, “I am not giving you anything to put.
“We are praying. I am praying. All my prayer warriors are praying,” Mr. Morgan further said.
“God has the final say and God is in control,” he said, as his wife added, “It is before the court.”
Asked if someone had been charged, Mr. Morgan said, “Charged for what? You said you spoke to the guy… He is doing all the talking. This is a spiritual warfare. It is in the hands of God and he will fight and he will deliver.”
His wife added: “My comment — That is part four of the video. Where is part one, two and three?”
Mr. Morgan added: “Play the whole video where we were praying for him and we were blessing him and he was cursing bad word in that house and smoking marijuana and I was praying for him.”
Mrs Morgan said that the man had been spitting at her and slapped her, adding that August would be 24 years since she has been married and her husband never slapped her.
“There isn’t an issue. His sister is angry that they didn’t have their way,” Mr. Morgan said, but did not elaborate.
Asked how do they feel about the fact that hot water was poured on the man, Mrs. Morgan said, “That is part four.”
“Show the whole video,” Mr. Morgan added. “That is what we are saying. You don’t doctorate video for your own cause to make somebody look back. Show the whole video. That is libel and that is wrong. That is sinful and that is why the prayer warriors are praying whole night. Maybe after they done pray and God — God will expose; then the Lord will show the whole video,” Mr. Morgan said.
Meanwhile, Victory told iWitness News separately Wednesday night that he had gone to visit a friend on Saturday, but the friend wasn’t at home.
He said he went to visit another friend, who also wasn’t at home, so he stayed and was relaxing with her boyfriend, near the Morgans.
Victory said Morgan called out to his host and told him not to encourage Victory to come to the area, because whenever he does, he causes “thing”.
“I ain’t trouble him and he throwing wud. I give him back wud. The wife ain’t like what I tell him, the wife leave from upstairs and come straight over in the neighbour yard and assault me.”
(Watch below a video of Mr. Morgan performing at Gospel Fest earlier in April)
Victory said he walked away from Mrs. Morgan, who he said pushed him when he was in the road. He said he pushed her and Mr. Morgan came and rubbed something in his face, saying, “The blood of God; the blood of God.”
Victory told iWitness News that a tussle ensued and he ended up in the gutter and his head was struck against a wall.
He said when he regained his strength he was “conquering” the Morgans.
He said one of them called out saying, “Bring the stuff! Bring the stuff!”
Victory said the Morgans’ daughter came with an electric kettle and poured the hot water on him.
In the video, Mrs Morgan can be seen pushing Victory onto a wall as he struggled to get away after being douse with the hot water.
Victory said after he got away, he went to the river to cool the burns before seeking medical attention.
He said he and Mr Morgan had an exchange of word about three years ago and every time he goes to the neighbour’s house, Mr. Morgan throws words at him.
Victory told iWitness News that he has lodged a report with the police about the burning incident, but they are yet to make an arrest.
He said the doctors said he suffered first-degree burns and that the water that was poured on him was mixed with oil.
Victory said it is very difficult for him to sleep.
The father of two daughters, 18 and 7, the younger of which is still in school, said he does he not know how he will be able to support his children.
“I ain’t have no money right now,” he told iWitness News.
He said he has not seen the Morgans since the event, adding, “I ain’t wah see he neither.
“Telling you the honest truth, I ain’t wah see he right now. I just want them dey keep their distance, the police do what they have to do and I seek my justice.”
Victory said that he is hoping that the matter would be brought to justice swiftly.
“If I ain’t get my justice how I want it, I tekking it in my hand,” he said.
He told iWitness News that he wants to be compensated for loss of income, and compensation for the burns he suffered.
You have got to be kidding me. Is this St. Vincent or is this Nigeria? What am I reading here this morning? When did this country get like this? I always knew there was a strong vein of superstition in this country but this shows me that reason and rationality has officially fled and may never be back. The rule of religion and superstition is stubbornly entrenched.
Well I hope that these people are prosecuted. This is all that I can hope for after all. I don’t expect any public condemnation from fellow pastors or the “head church”. I don’t expect any public sensitization drive to educate people that these foolish practices are just that, foolish. I don’t expect that on a village level any local leader is going to step up and try to resolve this matter and bring back some sanity to these idiotic folks in Hopewell. I don’t expect our education system to change anytime soon to encourage our students to be more critical and less faithful. But I do expect that the police would at least prosecute these people to the fullest extent of the law. This is just too heinous.
This was an act of obeah, pure and simple, to cleanse this man of his sins and the evil demons that possess him just as our master obeah man is pouring boiling oil on all our heads by building an airport at Argyle to cleanse us of our wickedness.
Since everything is “God’s will,” who can doubt these assertions?
Amen.
I am not a violent person…but anyone who did such to me shall surely pay…this is very very very disturbing….a “pastor”??? what did he mean by “spiritual warfare”? the Holy Ghost told him to burn that guy? I wouldn’t be surprised since these “spiritual warriors” take their worshiping on a new level. This surely wasn’t “spiritual warfare”….is it simply VIOLENCE!!! ALL 3 should feel the full wrath of the law, thanks to the video.
May true justice prevail!
A pre-meditative act….Mr Victory said one of them called out, “Bring the stuff, bring the stuff!”
That means the Morgans had a plan for Mr. Victory.
In light of the fact that he and Mr Morgan had an exchange of words about three years ago and every time he goes by Morgan’s neighbour Mr. Morgan throw word at him. These are the extenuating circumstances.
The Morgans should be arested and charged!
This is crazy! What is happening to my people, are they losing their minds? Regardless to what, no one should be treated like, being poured with hot water, that’s a criminal offense, an assault and not the work of God no matter how you twist or turn it. That’s another human, not a thing. And people in the video are laughing thinking that’s funny! I hope the police thoroughly investigate this matter an justice will be done because if this guy takes matter into his own hands then I’m sure the public wouldn’t be laughing.
What stupidness is this! And the so called pastor and hi wife and daughter is not in the lock down (prison), what cross is this, they attempted to murder the guy and is now trying to hide behind God’s word. Things like this is real vextation, this is real cross. How they go burn up a man like that, and he was not even trespassing on their property, then be talking bout three and four part story. Since election, the whole a SVG seem to gone mad and the police force confused. That can’t happen in North America and those people still on the outside. That is real injustice.
If this is spiritual warfare, then lord help us all. A most criminal act is what this is. The pastor and his family should be locked up and charge with grievous bodily harm. If the police don’t lock up these fools, then law and order in svg is just a figment of our imagination.
This makes water roll out of my eyes. This is pure evil, and pastor wondering why them church empty. Thank goodness its no body for me, the justice system should have Mr Victory dip the dip the wicked pastor into a boiling copper of hot water then justice would be served.