There is perhaps nobody that would watch the interview of Sina Rambo by celebrated singer, Yinka Ayefele that would not be filled with some revulsion and at the same time wonder at the extent of God’s mercy.
He was fondly called Sina Rambo, but he declared in the online interview monitored by Church Times that old things have passed away. He was quoting Bible effortlessly announcing with some note of confidence that his past no longer counts.
Even at that, he was mindful of the evil that he used his hands to commit in the past, stating emphatically that he was ready to die any kind of death. He however said he would not trade his soul for anything that would not bring glory to God.
“I am ready to die any kind of death. I have held many crusades and each time I finish the crusade I would present myself to be arrested by the police. I am ready to be executed and pay the supreme price because I know where my soul is going after death”
Like Paul in the Bible, Sina Rambo is so sure of the encounter he had with Jesus. His ugly past notwithstanding, he exuded this sense of freedom from sin.
Born to a top military officer from Abeokuta, Ogun State, he said in the interview which was monitored by Church Times, that he grew up with his mother in Benin. His mother had a terrible time carrying his pregnancy. She had an accident that threatened the pregnancy but nothing happened. His mother went through labour for about five days before she eventually put to bed.
There had been a word from the Lord that if his mother was able to keep the pregnancy till the day of his birth, the child would end up serving God.
He recalled that his mother had also dedicated him to God having been born in the church compound.
But all those early beginning did not rub off on his character as he went through some transitions in his early years that launched him into the underworld. That also informed his quest for power, a development that led him to consult dangerous occult forces.
In one of his quest for power, he along with several others sucked the breast of a possessed woman for 91 days. At the end, he was able to possess the power of appearing and disappearing. Many were killed in his stead. “Many times, there were reports that I was killed, but in actual fact, nobody could kill me. What happened was that I wore the image of others. They were the people killed and the police would say they have killed me.”
As he was granting the interview which was published online, callers were testifying to some of his escapades in the 90s. Many corroborated some of the major operations where he robbed banks and distributed money to bystanders.
He talked particularly about the mysterious lady called Alhaja that was driving him then. A caller recalled a particular operation and the dexterity with which the lady drove him to escape being apprehended.
The intriguing thing about Rambo’s operation was that he never operated at night. Most of his robbery escapades were carried out in the day. He said several people lost their lives in his hands recalling how he killed seven bishops in one day. He said those bishops were asked to deny Christ, they did because they were afraid of being killed. “But we ended up killing them,” he said.
He also talked about a mysterious mirror that was always dripping blood in his possession. But all that came to an end when he encountered Jesus during a visitation to the prison by the late General Evangelist of the Christ Apostolic Church, Prophet Timothy Obadare
Rambo in some other previous interviews had said he experienced the hand of God upon his life almost immediately after his conversion. He began to speak in tongues as soon as he woke up the following day of his conversion.
Now 62, Rambo who now prefers to be called Mathew Oluwanifemi said there is nothing good from the devil. He lost his wife and his three children in one day. He lost all the wealth he acquired from the kingdom of darkness and from all his years as an armed robber to the point that he had to depend on hand out to survive. He had to start from ground zero when he came to know Jesus.
But that has not in any way affected his joy. “I have rendered both my death and life to Christ. I meet area boys and go to prisons to preach. I hold crusades around the country. I have been involved in many Go A Fishing programmes of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Many have been won to Christ in those crusades. I am ready to die any kind of death. God has made me Paul of this time.”
While stating that he was ordained into ministry by Pa Oyelami of the CAC he insists he could not be held accountable again for his past life because he has found grace with God stating however that “I don’t deserve mercy. But God has shown mercy.”