Apostle Johnson Suleiman, the General Overseer of the Omega Fire Ministries, yesterday, denied that he had a hand in the arrest and detention of one Miss Stephanie Otobo by the police last Friday.
Apostle Suleiman in a statement signed, by his Communications Manager, Phrank Shaibu, in Abuja, also denied that there was a so-called “amorous relationship” between the said Miss Otobo and the General Overseer, including a promise to marry her.
Instead, the church stated that the lady was arrested by operatives acting on a tip off that she had repeatedly tried to blackmail the preacher, including demanding N500 million from him, failing which she threatened to expose a purported amorous relationship between her and the pastor.
The statement of Omega Fire Ministries was in reaction to two letters by Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, demanding the same N500 million on behalf of the said lady and also accusing Apostle Suleiman of procuring policemen to intimidate and detain his client unlawfully, having earlier promised to marry her.
But Phrank Shaibu said the lawyer was misled into believing that there was an amorous relationship between Apostle Suleiman and the said Miss Otobo, pointing out that the lady was caught up by her 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.
The statement further debunked Keyamo’s claim that the senior pastor had actually made the initial move towards marriage by seeing her parents, wondering how such a transaction could have taken place without any iota of evidence.
Meanwhile, contrary to claims by Miss Stephanie Otobo that Apostle Suleiman went for her marriage introduction to her family house, her father, Rev. Benson Otobo, has refuted the claim, saying nothing of such ever happened.
Otobo told journalists in Abuja, yesterday, that Apostle Suleiman had neither been to his compound nor known his residence, wondering why his daughter was attempting to drag the name of the revered man of God in the mud.
Asked whether Apostle Suleiman had ever been to his house for any marriage introduction with his daughter, Rev. Otobo responded: “Not at all. Apostle Suleiman does not even know where I live.”
He, however, informed newsmen that he had since called Apostle Suleiman to distance himself from his daughter’s misconduct.
Rev. Otobo, who disclosed that his daughter was equally at loggerheads with him at the moment for scolding her two months ago over nude pictures he saw on her whatsapp platform, said he was not surprised at her daughter’s current character, given that she grew up with her mother in Sapele, Delta State, after he divorced her.
He disclosed that he put an end to his marriage to his daughter’s mother about 30 years ago due to her unfaithfulness.
