Others Report Similar Cases
A Nigerian woman has raised an alarm over the mysterious disappearance of her daughter, Ejiro, a popular Instagram fashion vendor known as @stylebyejiro, after allegedly joining a prayer group run through Instagram
The mother accused a self-proclaimed spiritual leader, Joy Solomon Irojwe, of manipulating and isolating her daughter, leaving the family in distress and fear for her safety.
In a viral Instagram post that has since sparked nationwide outrage, the distraught mother narrated how Ejiro joined an online prayer group that later influenced her to shut down her thriving business, sell off all her belongings, and allegedly hand the proceeds over to the group’s leader as a “seed offering.”
“Ejiro joined a prayer group here on IG and was brainwashed to close down her business and sell off everything she owns and hand the money over to the convener of the group as a seed,” she wrote.
“Next thing was to isolate her by telling her that her mum is a witch and wants to kill her. Ejiro disappeared suddenly and nobody knows where she is to date.”
The post, now circulating widely under the hashtag #WhereIsEjiro, calls on social media users, activists, and government authorities to help locate the missing woman and investigate the activities of the alleged prayer group.
“I need all of you now in action,” the mother pleaded. “Repost on your pages or stories and tag as many people as possible including those in authority. This must go viral until they bring everyone out, whether dead or alive.”
She directly called out Joy Solomon Irojwe, the alleged leader of the group, warning her to release Ejiro and other alleged victims within 24 hours or face exposure.
“To everyone that belongs to that group, tell your demonic leader Joy Solomon Irojwe she has only 24 hours to release Ejiro and the others,” she said.
“If not, I will post all the evidence and recordings of your demonic Zoom meetings, every member’s full names and photographs, and of course, what that group really is.”
As the story trended, Joy Solomon, during a live session with media personality Daddy Freeze, denied any involvement in Ejiro’s disappearance.
“I have no idea about that,” she said.
She continued: “I just found out that my page was going viral. People were commenting and bloggers had posted me as the person who had an academy or fellowship. But I am not the one. I don’t have any fellowship. I have never met such people in my life.”
Solomon insisted that she had not been in Nigeria for years except for her recent visit to bury her mother.
“I just came to bury my mum and I came back. I’m a gospel music minister, not a prophetess or church leader. I am not affiliated with any prayer group,” she said.
One Instagram user, @joyceeawosika, who had once been affiliated with the online group, admitted to being a former admin but claimed she had distanced herself since last year.
“I was once part of that online community… I ended my association last year when I was uncomfortable with some conversations and realized this was not the group I thought it was,” she said in a public statement.
“I apologise to everyone who may have joined as a result of a testimonial I shared. I truly pray against any negative impact.”
But Ejiro’s mother rejected Joyce’s apology, accusing her of playing a significant role in luring women into the group.
“This disclaimer will not take you out of the equation,” she fired back. “When you knew the teachings were off from the true gospel of Jesus Christ, why didn’t you speak up? You led a lot of people to Joy Solomon’s Nebaoth Academy and now you want to apologise? Is my sister’s life and others missing a joke to you?”
In private messages sent to Ejiro’s mother, other victims’ families described eerily similar experiences, with many women allegedly cutting ties with their loved ones and donating personal belongings and money to the group.
“This is the same situation we’ve been dealing with in my family,” one anonymous person wrote. “My elder sister left home in 2022 after she started following Joy Solomon and we have not seen her since then.”
Another individual added, “My sister is the chubby lady at the back in this video. It’s been 3 years now. She has cut off her siblings, friends and everyone in her life before she met Joy Solomon. Joy Solomon collected her Rav4, hair, money — everything.”
Another woman who briefly attended a session with the group recalled how uncomfortable she felt: “I was irked by the rudeness in how the admin responded to people. Then it was time for prayer and oh God I knew I wasn’t supposed to be there. My spirit said no.”