Obituary: The life and times of Emmanuel Alogbo, railway worker, choir director, prophet and supreme head
- +Final Years And National Voice
Prophet Emmanuel Alogbo, the Spiritual Father and Chairman of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church Worldwide (Ayo Ni O), who was appointed as the fifth Supreme Head on September 20, 2025, has passed away peacefully at his residence in Lagos on July 30, 2026, at the age of 93. The church announced his death, describing it as the close of a life well spent, and declared seven days of prayers ahead of burial arrangements, which will be communicated later.
Prophet Emmanuel Alogbo, the Spiritual Father and Chairman of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church Worldwide (Ayo Ni O), who was appointed as the fifth Supreme Head on September 20, 2025, has passed away peacefully at his residence in Lagos on July 30, 2026, at the age of 93.
Born on Easter Sunday, April 18, 1933, at No. 16 Inabiri Street, Lagos, to Dickson Adeleye and Maria Ojubomo Alogbo, Emmanuel was exposed to music at an early age. His father served as choirmaster at Hoare Methodist Church, Yaba, passing on a musical gift that would shape a regional church worship culture. Tragically, his father died in 1942 when Emmanuel was just 12, prompting his relocation to Ile-Ife to live with his mother and continue his education.
After attending St. Paul’s Secondary School, Ayegbaju, Ile-Ife, he moved to Oduduwa College due to his sporting talent. In 1950, he joined the engineering department of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, a path that led him to Zaria in 1955. While passing by a church, he heard a choir singing a hymn he had composed years earlier as a chorister at the United Methodist African Church in Lagos. He walked in, corrected their rendition, and remained, integrating fully into the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church.
As choirmaster and later music director, he revolutionized Aladura worship by introducing the gangan (Yoruba talking drum), trumpets, guitars, and organs. Returning to Lagos in 1960, he answered what he described as a divine call to lead the church south of the River Niger. Starting with about ten worshippers at his Surulere residence on September 29, 1960, he established the Lagos District, which birthed numerous contemporary congregations. His ministry later expanded internationally to Los Angeles, New York, Houston, and the United Kingdom.
Final Years And National Voice
After decades of dedicated service, he was named acting Spiritual Head in 2024 and was crowned Supreme Head of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church of Nigeria on September 20, 2025. During his final year, he consistently urged Nigerians toward mercy and spoke out against national hardships and attacks on worshippers. Alogbo is survived by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
