The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry (MFM) and its General Overseer, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, have refuted claims that the church framed or influenced the imprisonment of former pastors Femi Jimoh and Caleb Oloruntele for nine years.
The allegations emerged from a report by Omoyele Sowore’s Sahara Reporters, which called for Dr. Olukoya’s arrest, accusing him of influencing the unjust detention of Mr. Jimoh without trial over alleged armed robbery.
Davidson Adejuwon, MFM’s Chief Legal Adviser, addressed the issue at a press conference, stating, “Mr. Jimoh was only remanded and granted bail. After they were granted bail, the family refused to get two individuals to stand as their sureties for them to be released.” Adejuwon emphasized that Jimoh’s various offenses at different church branches had led to his initial reporting to law enforcement. “As such, a case of planned armed attack on credible intelligence against the church, which could have led to the death of any member, cannot be treated and handled internally by the church. We have a duty to report such to the law enforcement agency saddled with the responsibilities to investigate and deal with such issues. And that was exactly what we did as a responsible church.”
He further asserted, “All other events that transpired thereafter at the police station and during the trial were completely out of the control of the church because being a criminal matter, it became a case between the state government and the defendants.”
Adejuwon categorically denied any intent to frame the pastors, stating, “It is absurd to imagine that a church as big as MFM would frame up two of its pastors just because of a claim that the church’s CSO was seen in a herbalist’s house.”
Supporting Adejuwon’s statements, Pastor Moses Oluwadare, who previously worked with Jimoh, said, “When I heard that he was involved in adultery in 2002, I brought him to the MFM headquarters in Lagos and he was taken for three weeks deliverance.”
Jimoh Omojomolo, an OPC member and security personnel, recounted his experience with Jimoh’s alleged criminal activities: “Femi came to me that he had a job for me, and he said, robbery. He mentioned that we would be robbing MFM church of its offerings. We took the matter to the DPO Sabo, Yaba, who warned us to be careful with Femi and that we should play along.”
Omojomolo also detailed their encounter with another pastor involved, saying, “Femi mentioned Pastor Caleb who was a pastor at MFM branch in Mowe Ibafo. We met with him and discussed the plan, which led us to seek advice from Dr. Olukoya’s father-in-law in Surulere.”
Adejuwon reiterated MFM’s commitment to its members’ welfare and security: “MFM is a responsible church that takes the welfare and security of all its members very seriously. We will not use our fold to harbor or hide anyone with any criminal intent or motive capable of harming others.”
Attempts to contact Mr. Jimoh or his lawyer for comments were unsuccessful.
