The Mountain of Fire and Miracles International Ministry (MFM) has denied being behind the “unjust” nine-year prison sentence of its former members Femi Jimoh and Caleb Oloruntele.
Jimoh, a former MFM pastor, alleged during an interview on Yoruba Gidi TV on May 24 that the founder of the church (MFM), Daniel Olukoya, “imprisoned him for almost a decade without trial on armed robbery charges.” .
Jimoh alleged that the church fabricated charges (murder, conspiracy, armed robbery and felony) against him after he met with Pastor Olukoya’s security chief, Michael Gbadamosi, at the residence of a traditional healer in Osogbo, State. from Osun.
Mr Jimoh said he was surprised to see Mr Gbadamosi at the healing home (native doctor) and did not know the purpose of his (Mr Gbadamosi’s) visit.
He further alleged that his family’s pleas to Mr Olukoya for his release were met on the condition of him pleading guilty in court.
He further alleged that MFM members are ruthless and mean. He claimed that a DPO (name withheld) shot him in the leg while he was being tortured.
Furthermore, Mr Oloruntele, a former church usher, during his interview on Yoruba Gidi TV, alleged that Pastor Olukoya ordered the police to shoot him for refusing to testify against a pastor whom he identified as Femi Agboola.
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Mr. Oloruntele claimed that he was prosecuted in 2008 without any substantial evidence to support the allegations (murder and robbery) against him.
MFM’s response
Reacting to these allegations through a statement sent to Premium Times, MFM Chief Legal Counsel, Davidson Adejuwon, said the allegations were false, mischievous, misleading and cruel.
Adejuwon said false statements made by Jimoh and Oloruntele have created misconceptions among the public.
The lawyer clarified that the claim that the church and its general overseer imprisoned Oloruntele and Jimoh for nine years despite their pleas was false.
Mr. Adejuwon revealed that the court ruling on the criminal trial stated that they (the duo) were granted bail but did not comply with the bail conditions.
He said: “Clearly, all that was expected of Mr Jimoh, his mother and his relatives, as well as Caleb and his relatives, was to obtain credible guarantees to comply with the bail condition, which does not include the payment of any sum that has been misunderstood by most people who are not lawyers. Isn’t it curious to push the narrative that Dr. Olukoya, the General Overseer, locked them up when all members of his family refused to let the two nine-year-old individuals be his sureties for his release?
“MFM is a responsible church that takes the well-being and safety of all its members seriously. As such, a case of a planned armed attack against credible intelligence against the church, which could have led to the death of any member, cannot be dealt with or handled internally by the church. We must report these problems to the law enforcement agency charged with investigating and dealing with them. And that is exactly what we did as a responsible church.”
According to the church’s attorney, what happened at the police station and during the trial was outside the church’s control.
He pointed out that, as a criminal matter, it is a case between the State and the accused.
Background
Adejuwon stated that while Jimoh was working with the ministry, he committed several crimes in each branch where he was posted.
He said Jimoh was reassigned to headquarters for internal discipline, hoping he would change, but he never did.
He added that Mr Jimoh’s false allegations had generated mixed reactions among Nigerians and had tarnished the image of the church.
According to him, the former pastor, together with Mr. Oloruntele, planned to rob the church and steal the “Offering of First Fruits.”
“The MFM Church and its General Overseer, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, did not imprison Mr. Femi Jimoh, Caleb Oloruntele or any other person for nine years or any period. What purpose will it serve, or what can the church gain by incriminating two of its ministers? It is absurd to imagine that a church as big as MFM would stoop so low as to incriminate two of its pastors just because of a claim (which is false) that a Chief Security Officer (CSP) of the church was seen at a herbal shop. .
“The MFM Church and its General Overseer, Dr. Olukoya, remain committed to the spiritual and physical well-being and development of its members and humanity at large.
Corroborating the church’s story, three men whom Jimoh approached to join him in the robbery attack narrated how they discreetly recorded their conversations with him and how they were able to save the church from the deadly attack.
Adejuwon noted that the three men, Akeem Momodu, also known as Omojomolo, Adebayo Fatai, also known as Aboki, and Tajudeen Oseni, known as Orji, whom Jimoh believed were his accomplices, said they were simply playing along to expose their evil plan
Adejuwon said Gbadamosi, whom the former pastor claimed to have met at a native doctor’s surgery, said he had never been to Ogbomoso town, let alone visited a herbalist there.