News
Ogala saga: She’s not my daughter – embattled Pastor *VDM will pay heavily
Chris Okafor, Senior Pastor of Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministries, otherwise known as Grace Nation Liberation City, has finally moved to clear his name from the scandal trailing him in recent days, starting from the faceoffs from Doris Ogala, who claimed to be his mistress, over “unfulfilled” sour relationship.
Ogala, an actress, had last week, heaped multiple allegations on the cleric, including sharing intimacy with her since 2017 and a promise to marry her, which had now failed as he went ahead to marry another woman.
The vocal actress, who was arrested and detained by police operatives on Sunday, was eventually released on Tuesday, bringing to an end a chapter in the sordid development that has kept the Nigerian social media busy since the first revelation.
However, the cleric who maintained on Wednesday that he was not troubled by the allegations from his accuser, vowed not to toe the same line with the second set of allegations, which came from another young woman, who claimed to be his daughter.
Claiming principally that she was abandoned by the cleric, her supposed father, the young lady, had approached Vincent Otse, a popular activist and influential social media face, otherwise known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), where she poured out her heart on her years of ordeals.
Okafor, told reporters on Wednesday, through Maxwell Opara, his lawyer, that he would not allow the allegation lying low, as the said young lady, was never his daughter as claimed and as has since been claimed by Deoxyribonucleic acid otherwise known as DNA, test.
Opara, said he had notified the social media influencer of his representation on behalf of the cleric and his instruction to demand a retraction and full apology on the pains of full consequences of the law.
Opara told his audience: “We are counsel to Pastor Dr. Chris Okafor, hereinafter referred to as Our Client on whose instructions and instance we are issuing this press briefing in conjunction with concerned members of civil society group.
“It has come to our notice and as well as to the public domain of Cyber Incitement, Cyber Bullying, Cyber Harassment, Cyber Stalking, Criminal Defamation, and malicious acts of impostor perpetrated by Martins Vincent Otse (Popularly Known As Verydarkman) and one young lady who introduced herself as Miss Chi against our Client, Pst. Dr. Chris Okafor, the Senior Pastor; of Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministries; also known as Grace Nation Liberation City.
“You recall that the said criminal acts of cyber-bullying, cyber-stalking, scandalous and libellous articles and comments against our client started by One Ms. Doris Ogala and cohorts; however, our interest in this press briefing is not on her and her laughable and gold digging story calculated to exploit our client through cheap blackmail, taking into account the ongoing investigations and interventions of different law enforcement agencies. “We would respectfully, allow the wheels of the law to take their full course in that regard. It is however worrisome, that whilst the above remains inconclusive and under investigation, a disturbing and disparaging story began to make rounds, setting the social media space agog and trailing blaze again the personality of our client.
“It has come to our attention that an individual who identifies herself as Ms. Chi Okafor has been presenting herself online as the biological daughter of our Client (Pastor Dr. Chris Okafor, making false and misleading claims regarding his personal life and family relationships, alleging abandonment and neglect of paternal responsibilities on the part of our client.
“Ordinarily, our client decided not to join issue nor respondent to any characterless, jobless agents of destruction in that he is already aware of where those who are using them trying to pull down his Ministry but he has decided to respond to the falsely claim by the said Miss. Chi that she is the biological daughter of our Client (Pastor Dr. Chris Okafor, so as to put the record straight.
“We wish to make it categorically assertive and unequivocally clear that those claims as alleged by the so called Ms. Chi Okafor are frantically untrue, misleading, malicious, inciting, and injurious to the personality and character of our client.
“But before we narrate the proper story, let me inform you that our client has written a warning letter to Martins Vincent Otse (Popularly Known As Verydarkman) who used his social media handles, such as, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube etc. has continuously harassed, defamed and incited members of the public against our client and threatened our client in the name of activism, just to destroy him and his Ministry and satisfy his paymasters.
“One wonders how an acclaimed activist unlawfully published an interview of a lady who claimed to be our client’s biological daughter, which is “totally false” criminally defaming our client all over the internet, without having the decency to reach out to our client to hear his own side before publishing such malicious, self-serving contents all over the internet, just create content and cheap popularity having known that our client as a pastor may not response to him on social.
“For the record, we wish to straighten out the facts, which the impostor has intentionally hidden, twisted, and perverted in other to ruin the goodwill our client has built over the years in life and Ministry.
“It is the instruction and brief of our client that several years ago, early in his pastoral stage, a certain woman came up and alleged that she’s pregnant for our client; being a responsible and a respected young gospel preacher, our client accepted responsibility and decided to marry the lady in question. Shortly after that, the lady began to live a life unbecoming of a preacher’s wife, and unfortunately, she took in the second time. Our client continued to shoulder the responsibility as the father in the pursuit of peace and unbroken home.
“In the course of life, unfortunate ordeals befall our client, who was kidnapped and kept away for about 50 days or so. At that time, the kidnappers reached out to the supposed wife of our client for ransom, but she denied knowing our client and at a point, the extended family members of our client, intervened, raised money and gave the supposed wife to secure the release of our client, her husband, unfortunately, the woman diverted the money and made a fool of the kidnappers.
“By divine intervention and mercy, our client was released from his abductors without any help from the supposed wife, despite the larger families’ intervention.
“When our client was released, he had misunderstanding with the supposed wife flowing from her neglect of him whilst he was abducted, and in the heat of argument, our client queried the sincerity of her love for him if she could not stand by him in trying moments. It was in the heat of that argument that the woman uttered a comment to our client thus; “do you even think that children of this marriage are yours,” and having made such assertion earlier, our client, attached weight on the second assertion and demanded for a DNA test.
“Ladies and gentlemen, shockingly, the DNA test returned as negative, a testament that neither the first nor the second child belonged to our client. The certificate of that DNA test is with the impostors’ mother and our client challenges the estranged wife to produce the said certificate or test result.
“Consequently, upon that fact, our client and the impostors’ mother ended the supposed marriage and both severed personal ties following a DNA test that conclusively established that the children in question are not his biological children. The woman left with the children of the marriage.
“Despite this finding, and purely out of compassion and goodwill, our client has continued to provide support toward the children’s education and general welfare, up to the stage of their career in Canada and United Kingdom respectively. A gesture that should not be misrepresented as acknowledgment of paternity.
“Gentlemen of the Press, any assertion suggesting abandonment of a spouse or children by our client is therefore false, misleading, disparaging, cyber bullying and defamatory.
“Let us reiterate here for emphasis purposes that the ongoing public portrayal of Ms. Lilian Okafor and her sibling as our client’s children, as well as the publication of statements alleging abandonment, constitute misrepresentation and libel. Such actions are damaging, misleading, and unacceptable.
“Consequently, we formally demand the following:
- Immediate retraction of all false, defamatory, and misleading statements published online or elsewhere concerning our client, followed by an apology in 2 national dailies, a copy of the apology be sent to the appropriate authorities.
- Cessation and desistance from further presenting or implying any familial relationship with our client.
- Challenging the imposter to avail herself and her sibling for DNA test in the choice health facility in the absence of the prior DNA certificate with the other accounts.
- The Removal of all content that falsely associates him with claims of paternity or abandonment.
TAKE NOTICE that failure to comply with these demands may leave our client with no alternative but to pursue appropriate legal remedies to protect his reputation and integrity.
“This statement is issued to clarify the facts and to prevent further dissemination of falsehoods, a committed to upholding truth, dignity, and fairness.”
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, announced the approval of the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and ordered the immediate release of ₦10 billion as emergency intervention funding.
Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesman, who conveyed the development to the public, said the fund would strengthen the operational preparedness of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical national public health emergency response activities.
To be chaired by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, the committee with membership drawn from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and state representatives is also expected to get briefings on their plans to contain the disease.
Onanuga, stated that Tinubu also specifically directed all states hosting international airports and international border corridors, as well as relevant MDAs, to submit their plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for consideration and coordinated implementation.
Stating that the President’s move followed a stakeholder meeting convened under the CoS to review Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies against the possible importation of Ebola into the country., the statement informed that the Task Force would also intensify passenger screening at all international airports through enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols.
Other measures would also include enhanced monitoring of passengers arriving through high-risk airline routes, including Air Uganda, Rwanda Air, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines; and the immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at the Lagos and Abuja international airports, with other airports to follow.
Other measures include the mandatory activation of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers originating from or transiting through designated high-risk countries, as well as the disinfection of departure halls, cargoes, baggage areas and airport facilities as precautionary environmental measures.
The President also directed the advisory group to consult with security, diplomatic and aviation bodies on regulating flights from affected and designated high-risk countries and mandated the task force to designate specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights to enable controlled screening and isolation procedures, and to consider adjusting flight schedules to minimise interaction between high-risk passengers and other travellers.
Justice Akintoye Aluko of the Federal High Court, Lagos on Tuesday ordered the remand of Paul Jibrin Oweleke in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged cybercrime offences linked to social media broadcasts that allegedly called for overthrow of President Bola Tinubu.
Specifically, Oweleke, in a two-count charge was accused of publishing posts on his online platform known as “Oweleke TV”, urging the Nigerian military to remove the President from office in a manner similar to takeovers in some West African countries, an act the agency said bordered on incitement and the use of a computer system to disseminate content considered prejudicial to national security and constitutional governance.
Oweleke’s broadcasts, the agency stressed, were capable of inciting public disorder and promoting disaffection against the government, which will undermine the country’s democracy.
Legal argument had ensued immediately after Oweleke, pleaded not guilty to the charges, with his lawyer kicking vehemently against the prayer of the agency that the court should order his remand pending the commencement of trial, on the ground that a bail application had already been filed and served on the prosecution.
But Aluko, who was persuaded to grant the prayer, went with the DSS, while adjourning the matter to June 16 for the hearing of the bail application, stating that Oweleke, would remain in the facility of the agency pending the outcome.
By June 29 all medical doctors in public hospitals in Nigeria will drop their stethoscopes and other instruments of healthcare, unless the Federal Government settles all unpaid allowances, salary arrears, delayed training funds, and worsening welfare concerns of its members across the country’s health sector.
This was the notice served to the government on Monday, through The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the umbrella under which the doctors operate, after rising from Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) held in Kano.
In the 21-day ultimatum to the government, the doctors warned that it would not be able to guarantee industrial harmony if the issues remain unresolved within the 21-day period.
In the resolution conveying their position, signed by Mohammad Suleiman, President, Shuaibu Ibrahim, Secretary-General, and Abdulmajid Yahya Ibrahim, Publicity and Social Secretary, on Friday, the body regretted that government had failed to fulfil several commitments to doctors despite repeated assurances and engagements.
“The association hereby declares an industrial dispute with the federal government of Nigeria on the outlined matters above and cannot guarantee industrial harmony after the 21-day window period given to address all the demands,” the communique reads.
The association said it is giving the federal government the 21-day window to commence concrete actions towards the development and implementation of a national healthcare workers assault prevention and response protocol
and the initiation of the necessary legislative process to address the menace.
NARD also demanded the release and payment of the 2026 medical residency training fund (MRTF) to all eligible resident doctors nationwide within the next 21 days.
The association questioned the unpaid salary and promotion arrears in several federal and state health institutions, as well as discrepancies in professional allowances reflected in members’ May 2026 salaries.
It highlighted the welfare issues affecting house officers, including salary delays, unpaid arrears, and difficulties with internship placement and onboarding processes that remain unresolved.
It also accused Motunrayo Omidiran, executive chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), of delaying the issuance of letters of compliance to federal health institutions, noting that the delay has hampered recruitment efforts, manpower shortages, and brain drain in the sector.
NARD expressed worries about the increasing assaults, harassment, intimidation, and violent attacks against doctors while on duty, demanding the arrests, investigation, and prosecution of perpetrators.
It called for the establishment of a national healthcare workers’ assault prevention and response protocol within 21 days by the federal government and security agencies.
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