A former Pastor of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Sunday Bawura Olowoyeye, has filed a N1 billion suit against the General Overseer of the church, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, over alleged illegal and oppressive detention.
Pastor Olowoyeye had raised the alarm over an alleged threat to his life by Olukoya.
The cleric who demanded security protection for him and his family claimed that he had not been able to sleep in his house for two weeks “because Olukoya is after my life”.
Olowoyeye said he joined MFM in 1993 and became a pastor of the church in 1995. According to him, he was posted to different states to serve till 2021 when he left the church due to the way they “neglected him and his family when his wife was critically ill”.
He said when his wife was ill, he sought help from the church but no one was ready to assist him.
The pastor told SaharaReporters that when he confronted them that what they did was wrong, and demanded the payment of his five months’ salary, they gave him a sack letter in 2021 that his services were no longer needed in the church.
However, in a court document obtained by SaharaReporters on Tuesday, the cleric told the court how he was arrested and detained for 16 days at the F.C.I.D Alagbon, Lagos, allegedly on the orders of Pastor Olukoya, after he expressed his frustration and grievances to a blogger, Maureen Badejo, who broadcast his plight.
He said he was released after agreeing under duress to do a video to retract all the complaints he made against the Olukoya.
According to the document, in September 2023 another member and follower of Pastor Olukoya identified as Samuel Kayode Augustus threatened him with a repeat experience of the arrest, torture and humiliation at F.C.I.D Alagbon.
Among other reliefs, Baruwa is seeking an “order of perpetual injunction restraining Olukoya and other respondents whether by themselves or their offices, servants, agents, representatives, privies whatsoever from further arresting, harassing, detaining, assaulting, molesting, intimidating or coercing in any manner, the Applicant over his complaint against the 1st and 2nd Respondents to Maureen Badejo, a blogger except by a competent order of a court”
The motion partly reads; "TAKE NOTICE that this Honourable Court will be moved on the day of 2023 at the hour of 9'0 clock in the forenoon or so soon thereafter as counsel may be heard on behalf of the Applicant for the following reliefs:
"A DECLARATION that the Applicant has constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of expression and the freedom of movement and liberty, freedom to dignity of human person as contained in Sections 34,35,36 and 39 of the 1999 constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as Amended.
"A DECLARATION that the arrest of the Applicant on May 28 2021 by the Respondents was illegal, abuse of powers, executed with excessive force and a violent breach of right to free movement guaranteed under section 41 the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as Amended.
"A DECLARATION that the detention of the Applicant from May 28 2021 to June 13 2021 by the 1-3 Respondents at Alagbon Police Station, Ikoyi Lagos was a gross breach to the Applicant's right to personal liberty, illegal and unjustifiable and contrary to Sections 35 and 36 of the 1999 constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as Amended.
"A DECLARATION that the violent arrest and 16 days (May 28 2021-June 13 2021) detention of the Applicant was a deliberate, illegal dehumanisation and torture of the Applicant and is a violent breach of his rights to dignity to human person and freedom from torture and contrary to Sections 34, 35, 36 and 39 of the 1999 constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as Amended.
"A DECLARATION that the arrest and 16 days detention of the Applicant by the Respondents was deliberate calculated and aimed only at inducing and forcing him to retract and denounce his allegation of maltreatment and cheating against the 1st Respondent.
"A DECLARATION that the forcing of the Applicant by way of torture, cajoling and fraudulent premise to pay him ten million naira to RETRACT and DENOUNCE his complaints and grievances against the 1st Respondent to one blogger Maureen Badejo, is illegal and a gross breach of his fundamental human rights to freedom of expression as enshrined in Sections 34 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as Amended.
"AN ORDER that the Respondents pay in damages to the Applicant the sum of 250 million naira for their unlawful and violent arrest of the Applicant on May 28, 2021 at Surulere, Lagos.
"AN ORDER that the Respondents pay in damages to the Applicant the sum of 250 million naira for their illegal and oppressive detention of the Applicant at Alagbon Police Station from May 28 2021 to June 13 2021.
"AN ORDER that the Respondents pay in damages to the Applicant the sum of 250 million naira for their humiliation, torture, emotional anguish, disruption of family life, and psychological trauma of the Applicant.
"AN ORDER that the Respondents pay in damages to the Applicant the sum of 250 million naira for the breach of the Applicant's freedom of expression on the issue of his stoppage of his salary and wrongful dismissal from work by the Respondent's organisation (Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry) and as communicated to one Maureen Badejo by forcing him at gunpoint after 16 days of detention to RECOUNT on his earlier position and complaint of being maltreated by the 1st Respondent and his religious organisation (MFM).
"AN ORDER for the 1st-3rd Respondents each, to issue a letter of unconditional apology under the auspices of Nigerian Police (Force) to the Applicant for their illegal, oppressive and brazenly unconstitutional act against the Applicant from May 28 2021 and publishing same apology conspicuously in the Guardian Newspaper and Punch Newspaper.
"AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining all Respondents whether by themselves or their offices, servants, agents, representatives, privies whatsoever from further arresting, harassing, detaining, assaulting, molesting, intimidating or coercing in any manner, the Applicant over his complaint against the 1st and 2nd Respondents to Maureen Badejo, a blogger except by a competent order of a court.”
"AND FOR SUCH FURTHER OR OTHER ORDERS as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of this suit," it added.
The co-respondents in the suit filed on the applicant’s behalf by his legal team led by Adesina Ogunlana, are the Incorporated Trustees of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry, a Superintendent of Police, Tawose Ayoleyi of the Federal Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos, and the Nigerian Police Force.
Meanwhile, the counsel for the applicant, Ogunlana, said the matter would come up for hearing on Tuesday before Justice Taiwo Oladokun.