A Miracle! Man Survives 42 Gunshots To The Head
‘Is this man’s head stronger than iron?’ That was the puzzle investigating police officers could not unravel over two decades ago when they visited a victim of armed robbery attack in hospital. The victim, Bishop Joe J. Idem, had 42 bullets pumped into his head by suspected armed robbers who invaded his residence in Lagos.
To the surprise-stricken police officers, it was an miracle that a man survived 42 gunshots which left the burglary proof in his home shattered. At about 3am on Wednesday March 1, 1990, Bishop Idem was attacked by a number of bandits at his residence in Lagos. He did not offer any form of resistance. But the robbers were not just interested in looting property but prepared to kill the cleric. The robbers shot him in the head 42 times, but today he is alive to tell the story.
Bishop Idem who is the presiding Bishop of United Christian Bible Church, Ojo, Lagos, is also the Executive President of Joe Idem World Outreach (JIWO). It is an evangelical arm of his church. As part of his missionary activities, he was in Asaba, the Delta State capital recently to make arrangement for some missionary work in the state. In an encounter with Daily Sun, like it happened yesterday, he relived his experience with the hoodlums with nostalgic feelings.
“To God’s glory, I am the man of God who survived 42 bullet gunshots in his head. The encounter happened on Wednesday March 1, 1990, between 3 and 4am. Armed robbers just invaded my residence; I offered them no resistance whatsoever but one of them just kept shooting at my head. “Just then, I fell down and suddenly saw someone I may call a Supreme Being. He appeared to me. He looked like a human being wearing a purple gown. I saw myself sitting in between his legs. He assured me that I would not die but live to preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“He told me not to move my body, stating that the one shooting at me was still in action. He didn’t want him to keep at shooting me. He said the hoodlums were many but assured that they would not take anything out of the house. He also assured me that he would cause confusion among them. That was exactly what happened; they couldn’t take anything way from my home; they simply kept roaming around in my sitting room and the veranda; they couldn’t take anything.”
Bishop Idem said he could not ascertain the number of the invaders because he lost consciousness when he came under a volley of bullets. All what he knew was that, that heavenly visitor divinely saved him. He said he revealed to him that the suspected assassins were many, adding that his mother also confirmed that they were many even as she said women were among them.
Bishop Idem told Daily Sun that when the robbers left, he was rushed to St. Anthony’s Medical Hospital opposite Lagos State University on Lagos-Badagry expressway. “There, a team of medical doctors open up the wound and extracted 42 bullets. Miraclously, none of the bullets was able to penetrate my skull. The medical explanation they gave was that the tissues in my head resisted the pallets but I knew in the real sense that it was the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ that protected me.”
He further revealed that while he was in hospital, a report of the incident was lodged at the Ojo police station from where officers were detailed to investigate the case. “When the police arrived my home, they discovered to their surprise that one of the burglary proofs on the window and the glasses were shattered by bullets. So they came to the hospital to confirm if I was truely the one who was shot at. When they came, I was already out of the theatre. Just then, the head of the investigating team said they had report of the robbery; they had actually gone to the scene where they saw how the bullets shattered the burglary to pieces. Then he added: ‘does it mean that your head is stronger than the iron? That’s a new record!’ In fact, news of what happened to me drew the attention of a lot of people.”
He disclosed that the incident occurred at a time he started his missionary newly. Embolden by the miraculous encounter, he said he then began to preach and praise God more fervently. He noted that since he left the hospital in 1990 till now, he had never returned to the same hospital or any one around for any form of check-up in respect of the gun shot injuries. “To God’s glory, I was completely healed of that injury. After that incident till now, I have never gone back to that hospital or any other for any thing related to it. The Lord just healed me totally.”
The Akwa-Ibom State born preacher declared that incident was one of the biggest miracles to happen to him since he started work in the Lord’s vineyard. He said that in no way deterred him from fulfilling his mission of spreading the good news of Christ.
“I have never been deterred and will never be as a result of that incident or any other whatsoever to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have been going round the world spreading this good news and I will continue doing so through our evangelical outfit. That is the reason I ‘m in Asaba. I go to places to preach the gospel. Each time I ‘m going to do that, I first study the place and take care of some challenges. This is a command God gave to me - to go to the whole place and preach the gospel. It is a great commission,” he said.
source: sunnewsonline.com
