Head Pastor for the Alabaster International Ministries, Prophet Kofi Oduro has revealed that he adopted his confrontational way of preaching to his church members due to his experience as a former gang member.

The controversial prophet made the revelation in an interview on “Upside Down” on Citi TV, monitored by GhanaWeb.

“Growing up for me was very rough, I was born in Tesano. I grew up in Fadama and Abeka. There has been a rough patch for me during adolescence because I joined gangs. You can see it in my flair; that belligerence, possibly that’s where it’s coming from,” he said.

Widely known for his 'Tieee' popular saying, he stressed that he had never in his wildest dreams thought of becoming a man of God.

“We had a rough kind of lifestyle. I have been a heavy smoker, drinker, and went into rap music. If someone has said I will become a pastor, I never would have believed it,” he said.

Prophet Oduro added that he had his encounter with God through a near-death experience, and it had redirected his course in life.

He concluded by saying that although churches have reopened, according to the directive of the president, they should reconsider their decisions to fellowship, as it is still unsafe to have the services in the church premises.

“I think that we shouldn’t rush in opening churches, mosques, etc. In America, a lot of people got the virus from the church. So we should weigh all the factors … there are people who do not obey any of these protocols. Anytime it is safe, the church will be opened,” he said.