Nigeria –  The pastor of Omega Fire Ministries International, Apostle Johnson Suleman has been arrested by the Nation’s State Security Service (SSS) in an event related to a statement he made to his congregation in a video during the church’s Sunday service, reacting to the recent killings of Christian in the northern part of Nigeria.

In the video below, the cleric, in what we believe is holy anger condemns the killings and …

Watch the Video of his comments

Source : Facebook

The arrest was made after he made the statement in the above video

Watch the video of his arrest

The officials of the church has issued a press release condemning the development.

The statement jointly signed by Dr. Sule Emmanuel, senior pastor, OFM South Africa Churches and Director of Media (OFM Worldwide) and Barrister Samuel Amune Esq, Coordinator, OFM Legal Team Worldwide, reads;

“This is to inform the millions of followers and supporters of Apostle Johnson Suleman all over the world that the man of God is very safe, and that the attempted arrest by the Department of State Security on the man of God on the instruction and orders of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari was unsuccessful.

Over the last couple of months, thousands of defenseless Christians have been killed across various cities in Nigeria, with nearly a thousand so far killed in southern Kaduna alone. Shockingly, there has been no firm statement or action by the Nigerian government to stop these destruction of lives and properties neither has any one been arrested or charge to court, largely because these senseless killings are been perpetrated by kinsmen of the President. And because of the body language of the President, these killings have progressively increased.

However, Apostle Johnson Suleman, in his love for Nigeria and as God’s representative to the people, has refused to keep quiet about all these immoral happenings, and he has continued to speak truth to people in position of authority; calling on the government to do the needful, and protect the citizens. Only recently, God’s servant, Apostle Johnson Suleman was forced to call on Christians all over Nigeria to defend themselves against these killers since the spate of killings has been on the rise. Interestingly, the call by the man of God for the Christians to take caution and defend themselves where necessary has become the core focus of the Nigerian government, despite the fact that it has evidently failed to protect her people. It is now determined to exploit the instruments of the State to go after the man of God.

Typical of a tyrannical government, while the man of God was in Ekiti State–Nigeria for a crusade which held at the Ekiti State Pavilion, the government of President Buhari ordered two truck-load of fully armed DSS officers to forcefully arrest the man of God, but the people and the government of Ekiti-State overwhelmingly resisted the arrest.

Let it be on record that this assault occurred around 1am in the morning of 25/01/2017. Apostle Johnson Suleman is not facing any corruption charges neither is there any petition against him. The attempted arrest being masterminded by the PRESIDENCY against him is unconstitutional, morally wrong and procedurally defective.

This country was founded on the principles of equality before the law and justice. There should be strict adherence to the Spirit and Letters of our Constitution and nobody should be treated as a common criminal. As the country belongs to every one of us irrespective of religion, sex and social status.

By the way, the man of God in his prophecies for the year 2017 which he issued before the end of 2016 had already informed the public how God showed him that in 2017 the government of President Buhari will come after him because of his stand against the policies and actions of the government. But God is ever faithful to protect his Anointed from the oppressors.

All over the world, no responsible government ever makes religious leaders their object of attack, but they would rally round religious leaders to see how to forestall any crisis and foster unity. History has shown that when you make religious leaders objects of attack, the repercussions are very grave.

Beyond just being an esteemed and beloved preacher of the gospel, Apostle Johnson Suleman is a renowned philanthropist and statesman. On a weekly basis, he sponsors widows, jobless graduates and several Nigerians to start businesses and give meaning to their lives, while also giving scholarships to countless number of people to obtain university education.

All these self-sacrificing philanthropic gestures are not directly or indirectly funded by the church, but directly from Apostle Johnson Suleman’s private resources and from his several business interests.

Even with the present needless sufferings and hardship the present government of President Buhari has plunged Nigerians into, Apostle Johnson Suleman has remained undeterred and consistent in doing his best in alleviating the sufferings of the people. While in Ekiti, he doled out over One Million Naira to certain people who had various financial challenges. These individuals were strangers to him, but because they are fellow Nigerians, he considers them his brothers and sisters, and he just had to do something to end their despair. This is the kind of good heart the man of God, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has for his country and his compatriots.

We are hereby calling on the Nigerian government to put a stop to senseless attacks on Christian leaders, especially Apostle Johnson Suleman. These are leaders and beacons of hope whose integrity and teachings have kept this country in unity and consistently given hope to millions of Nigerians faced with hunger, neglect, abuse and ill-treatment from the government they optimistically voted into power.

We will like to inform the government of Nigeria that Omega Fire Ministry has numerous branches of her ministry in over 51 nations, (with over 500,000 membership in Nigeria alone) and all our National churches have been mandated to take our protest letter to the Nigerian Embassy in all these nations, and to inform the government of the respective nations of the despotic and tyrannical approach of the government of President Buhari to Christians and Christian leaders in Nigeria. We also make bold to say that we shall employ all means whatsoever legally permissible to seek redress and defend ourselves and our Apostle should the Presidency continue this senseless attack. It is unacceptable that the killers of the people are not being arrested, but respected men of God are made object of attacks by the institutions of government.

We like to unequivocally state that Apostle Johnson Suleman believes in the progress and unity of Nigeria, and this will remain the core of all his messages. However, no intimidation from the government will stop him from speaking the truth to the government, and standing in defense of the defenseless.

We believe that the greater and brighter days of this country are very close-by, and God in His judgment will surely displace the enemies of his people, regardless of how highly placed they are.

Apostle Johnson Suleman will continue praying for the good of Nigeria, and for the Almighty God to guide her leaders’ right.

In conclusion, we use this medium to call on the government of President Buhari to heed the call of all Nigerians, and step-up in his leadership! Protect the people. Stop the mindless killings going on daily in Nigeria. Stop the unwarranted persecution against the church, the Christian community and the wanton destruction of churches. As father of the nation, let your body language and your voice be visibly heard as leader of a united Nigeria.

God bless Nigeria.”

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At the Christian Mail office, we have had mixed reactions from our readers, what is your opinion on his statement ?

Nigeria – Living Faith Church International (Winners’ Chapel ) have responded to a trending fake news (with a video) on social media. The Church said that the circulating video, which shows the founder (Bishop David Oyedepo) asking the church members to kill suspected “militants” who comes near with intent to destroy church properties, was shot in 2015.

According to a report by the Nigeria Vanguard Newspaper. The Church through her Editorial & Media Board, said that the Bishop was not reacting to the current hostilities between Christians and Muslims in southern Kaduna state of Nigeria and that the circulating video was recorded in 2015 and is not a response to the current crisis in Kaduna or any new developments.

Watch video below

The church’s media board responded that the reports are ‘fake, unbelievably and maliciously fabricated and containing outright lies. They are tweaked, baseless, and fraudulent.’ The statement read as follows :

“Our attention has been drawn to a salacious piece of fake news in mainstream and social media platforms, that Bishop David Oyedepo, Founder and President of Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners’ Chapel International) charged Christians to take up arms and attack Muslims in the recent Kaduna killings and that if religious and ethnic injustice could not be addressed, Nigeria could as well break up. 

The fake news item, which has been trending online for a couple of days, is supposed to be a report depicting the Bishop reacting to the hostilities between Christians and Muslims in southern Kaduna in which unnumbered persons, mostly Christians have been killed. 

In this report, Bishop Oyedepo purportedly called out and berated the politicians who were fun-watching while the carnage went on or fanning the embers of the violence, and supposedly noted that there was no basis for Nigeria’s continued unity. 

For instance, in the online version of one of the popular Nigerian newspapers (Vanguard of January 12, 2017 reported by one Anthony Ogbonna), the Bishop was quoted as saying: “God has anointed me to lead a revolution against the Islamic jihadists” . The Bishop is presented to have made very provocative and inciting comments to his congregation, declaring a counter-war against the Fulani and fanatics in the recent Kaduna crisis.

The report is false. The video from which the quotes were taken is a 2015 video at a Sunday service in the heat of the Boko Haram crisis, when churches, including our Northern assemblies were under frequent attacks. This was before the present administration took office. The message bears no relevance to today’s happenings; not even developments of 2016. The reporter(s), either being completely unprofessional, lazy or simply wicked, made the 2015 message look like a 2017 church service message. The trending video is NOT a 2016 or 2017 video.

To this end, we can unequivocally and authoritatively say that this quote, the report and other similar reports do not fit the context of the Kaduna crisis or any developments whatsoever in the last one year. The reports are therefore fake, unbelievably and maliciously fabricated and outright lies. They are tweaked, baseless, and fraudulent.

Bishop Oyedepo has not said, either in private or public, anything related to the Southern Kaduna killings: not now, not hitherto. If there has been anything done, it has been prayer for peace and unity of Nigeria. The intent of the original author(s) or fabricators is best known to them.

However, what is baffling is the degree of lowliness of today’s journalism practice. If any online media seeking patronage or relevance had bolted to the newsroom with this piece of white lie, shouldn’t the supposedly more responsible ones take ethical steps, namely, to confirm, substantiate and ascertain the authenticity of such claim before going to press and avoid joining the bandwagon of sensational and irresponsible journalism?.

Moreover, our church is an open one, with a website that has online media resources, from which all our audio and video tapes and other materials, from time immemorial, can be freely accessed. All our archived videos are unedited. Also, there are hard copies of all the church messages in our libraries and bookstores. Again, we have a Media and Editorial Board that can be consulted at any time. But, which of these mediums did the writers of the fake reports avail themselves of before publishing?

For the records and for posterity, Bishop Oyedepo will not say any of those things in view of current dire straits in which Nigeria has found itself. There are too many problems at hand, which require divine intervention. He will not add to the throes and utter such divisive words. As a father of the nation and a Pan African in his own right as a religious leader whose ministry spreads across the continent and beyond, he is a huge believer in the corporate entity called Nigeria and has been a messenger of national love, hope, peace and unity.

While he feels for the victimised people across the length and breadth of the country and his heart goes to them, he has always worked with government at all levels to keep Nigeria safe and strongly unified.

The Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners’ Chapel International) has never been a Yoruba church, or a Southern Nigeria church; it has always been a church for all Nigerian church, a platform where all persons of all walks of life bond in the name of Jesus Christ. For those who may not know, Bishop Oyedepo’s first major break in Christian ministry was in Kaduna, his second home, where he is a friend and father to millions of people of all religious and ethnic backgrounds.

Indeed, our church has been a catalyst for the Nigerian hope and dream and with its two universities and numerous secondary and primary schools nationwide, the church has made it possible for Nigerians to come closer as one people to rebuild our fatherland.”

Source : Vanguard News, Nigeria

Nigeria –  The pastor of Omega Fire Ministries International, Apostle Johnson Suleman in a video during the church’s Sunday service reacted to the recent killings of Christian in the northern part of Nigeria.

In the video below, the cleric, in what we believe is holy anger condemns the killings and …

Watch the Video

Source : Facebook

We have had mixed reactions from our readers, what is your opinion on his advice ?