Since May 28, 2024, a viral video showing a supposed pastor bathing women and applying oil and cream on them during a church service has emerged online. The video has sparked widespread controversy.
Fact-Check Ghana sighted the video on X, shared by a user with the handle @instablog9ja. The tweet was captioned, “A Ghanaian pastor sets an example for his colleagues as he goes the extra mile to care for his congregants.”
This tweet stirred reactions and at the time of this publication was viewed by over 502,000 users, generated more than 680 comments, 790 reposts and 2,000 likes.
A Ghanaian pastor sets an example for his colleagues as he goes the extra mile to care for his congregants
pic.twitter.com/hEuQoNIlQ5— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) May 28, 2024
In the video, there was a backdrop banner with an inscription, “Cross Over Night” under the theme, “Make Me Pure and Holy” indicating the supposed service was a 31st night church that was to last from “8:30 pm to 12 am” programme.
The Head Pastor on the backdrop is called Pastor Blinks. The pastor and congregants could be heard speaking Twi, a local dialect of the Akan language spoken widely in Ghana.
Fact-Check Ghana has verified the video and presents the facts below.
Explanation
Using a reverse image search, Fact-Check Ghana found that the video has been circulating on the internet since January 2, 2022. Numerous publications, mainly entertainment sites in Nigeria, have posted the video as seen here, here, here, here and here.
Further checks show that the video was first published on YouTube by a channel called Blinks TV.
The checks also revealed that Blinks TV belongs to a content creator known as Pastor Blinks, who produces provocative skits to educate the public about the deceptive practices of fake pastors.
The viral video, in which Pastor Blinks bathes women and applies oil and cream on them in a supposed church, is one such skit. Similar videos by Pastor Blinks show him shaving, massaging, and touching private parts of women, instructing them to remove their panties during church services.
The original version of the trending video was posted on Blinks TV channel (YouTube platform) to inform Christians about the tactics of false pastors ahead of the 2021 New Year’s Eve services. The post used hashtags such as #FakePastors, #TrendingChallenge, #pastorsnews, and #31stnight.
Although Fact-Check Ghana found that YouTube and TikTok are the main distribution channels for Pastor Blinks’ videos, the video of him bathing women was not found on his TikTok account (Nana Mensah).
The description on Pastor Blinks TikTok account identifies him as a “Film actor and music artist,” indicating that he does not present himself as an actual pastor. One of the videos Fact-Check Ghana sighted on his TikTok page showed him singing in a music video. Blinks TV has published numerous videos, short skits, and movies showcasing the activities of fraudulent pastors.
A behind-the-scenes (BTS) video of the skit where Pastor Blinks is seen bathing his congregants provides evidence that the women’s breasts were not visible to him or the congregants as they were covered.
Also, in one of the videos the channel released on June 2, 2020, Pastor Blinks is seen removing a woman’s underwear in front of a supposed congregation. This video has garnered over 96,000 views on YouTube and features popular Kumawood actress Agnes Annan, also known as Maame Fante.
In an interview with Kumasi-based Hello FM, Mark Mensah (Pastor Blinks) clarified his intentions behind these skits. He stated, “All that I have been doing is a movie, and I am called Pastor Blinks. These are some of the things fake men of God have done, so I am trying to make the public aware of them so that they become careful.”
From the above, it is clear that the viral video of a supposed pastor bathing women in a church is not a real incident but a skit produced for social media to raise awareness about the fraudulent activities of some so-called pastors.
