The General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide,
Apostle Johnson Suleman, on Monday distanced himself from the arrest and
detention of Stephanie Otobo by the police on March 3 over an alleged blackmail
offence.
The allegation against Suleman came about one month after
his interrogation by the Department of State Services over an alleged
incitement in his sermon in which he said Fulani herdsmen who came near
his church should be killed.
The cleric
in a statement by his Communications Manager, Phrank Shaibu,
obtained by THE PUNCH in Abuja, said there was no amorous relationship between
Otobo and himself let alone a promise to marry her.
According to Shaibu, the lady was
allegedly arrested by the security operatives after she allegedly tried to blackmail
Suleman, including demanding N500m from him, failing which she threatened to
expose a purported amorous relationship between her and the pastor.
Our correspondent reported that a
legal practitioner, Festus Keyamo, had demanded N500m on behalf of Otobo and
also accused Apostle Suleman of allegedly using policemen to intimidate and
detain his client unlawfully, having earlier promised to marry her.
Shaibu said Keyamo was misled
into believing that there was an amorous relationship between Apostle Suleman
and Otobo, adding that the lady was “caught up by her own machinations as she
was arrested while trying to withdraw money paid into her account by the Church
in a sting operation coordinated by the police.”
He said, “Unknown to Keyamo, the
police was alerted following several attempts by the said lady to blackmail
Apostle Suleman. The police also recorded her conversations while making the
frivolous demand. The highpoint of the drama was her attempt to withdraw the
money paid into her account at the instance of the police. The lawyer should
know that his client was arrested by the police with abundance of evidence
confirming that she is indeed a serial blackmailer.”
Shaibu also denied Keyamo’s claim
of an amorous relationship and a promise to marry his client, wondering how
such a transaction could have taken place without any iota of evidence.
He said, “Let me place it on
record that, the lady in question is a self-confessed stripper in a night club
in Canada, who like thousands of people that seek help from Apostle Johnson
Suleman, called to pretentiously convey her intentions to embrace Christ and
also need financial help to keep body and soul together as she no longer had a
means of livelihood after quitting her job as a stripper.
“Does Keyamo or his serial
blackmailing client have pictures of the visit by Apostle Suleman or his
representatives to her parents? In any case, how could such a relationship have
existed when the Apostle and the said lady have never met physically? How could
he have made a promise of a house and a lifestyle comparable to what she has in
Canada when he has never been to her house or seen her physically as to have an
idea of her living standards?”
According to him, Keyamo must
have been misled or excited by the prospects of getting a whopping N500m.
However, Keyamo on Monday said he
would “release more bullets” to justify the allegation by Otobo that she had a
failed amorous relationship with Apostle Suleman.
He also promised to upload more
photographs in the days ahead to validate the argument of his client.
Keyamo in an interview with THE
PUNCH, said, “She will come out tomorrow (today, Tuesday), she has been granted
bail by the Magistrate court. She will be calling a world press conference and
we will begin to release bullets. These men of God are not what they claim to
be, we have a duty to protect the public. Many of them are fake and fraudsters.
You will see the video very soon, in the next few minutes.”
But contrary to allegations by
Stephanie Otobo that Apostle Suleiman came for her marriage introduction, her
father, Rev. Benson Otobo, has refuted the claim, saying the cleric had never
been to his house.
He also revealed how his daughter
disowned him for scolding her after posting nude photographs on WhatsApp and
other social media, adding that her daughter was not a decent girl.
Rev. Otobo regretted why she was
attempting to drag the name of the revered man of God in the mud.
He told THE PUNCH in an SMS that
the cleric had never been to his house to seek the hand of his daughter in
marriage.
“Apostle Johnson Suleiman NEVER
at any point in time came to me seeking any of my daughter’s hand in marriage
including Stephanie. I am NOT aware that they are at any time in a relationship
of any kind. I am shocked when you mentioned if I was offered N500m. Is
it for me to buy a private jet? Sorry no ONE offered me a kobo for anything.
Thanks,” Otobo stated.
But later in an interview with
journalists, Rev. Otobo said Suleman had not been to his compound or known
where lives in Warri, Delta State.
He however said he had since
called Apostle Suleiman to explain to clear his name over the misconduct of
Stephanie
punch
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