General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has denied instigating the arrest and detention of a woman identified as Stephanie Otobo by the police on Friday, March 3 for alleged blackmail.
The law firm of Festus Keyamo had demanded N500m on behalf of Otobo and also accused Suleman of allegedly using policemen to intimidate and detain his client unlawfully, having earlier promised to marry her.
But the cleric in a statement by his Communications Manager, Phrank Shaibu, on Monday said there was no amorous relationship between the said Otobo and himself, including a promise to marry her.
According to Shaibu, the lady was allegedly arrested by operatives acting on a tip off that she had repeatedly tried to blackmail Suleman, including demanding N500 million from him, failing which she threatened to expose a purported amorous relationship between her and the pastor.
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 Suleiman. The police also recorded her conversations while making the frivolous demand.
“The high point of the drama was her attempt to withdraw money paid into her account at the instance of the police. The lawyer should know that his client was arrested by the police with abundant evidence confirming that she is, indeed, a serial blackmailer.”
Shaibu also denied Keyamo’s claim of an amorous relationship and a promise by Suleman to marry Otobo, wondering how such a transaction could have taken place without any iota of evidence.
“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 needed financial help to keep body and soul, as she no longer had a means of livelihood after quitting as a stripper,” he said.
“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 had in Canada when he has never been to her house or seen her physically as to have an idea of her living standards?”
