Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries (MFM) has denied framing former church members Femi Jimoh and Caleb Oloruntele in connection with an alleged planned attack on the church.
This was as the three individuals who testified against the former members in court over the alleged incident told how the two approached them to beg their assistance in hiring a gun to rob the church’s “first fruits” gift in 2008.
Akeem Omojomolo, Tajudeen Usein, and Fatai Adebayo described how they participated in the scheme, which led to their detention.
In an interview, Jimoh accused the church (MFM) of being behind his nine-year detention without trial for alleged armed robbery.
He alleged that the church framed him and that his trial began when he met the top security officer of MFM founder Pastor Daniel Olukoya at a local doctor’s residence.
Caleb, on his part, claimed in an interview that MFM’s founder wanted him dead because he refused to offer false testimony against a pastor he identified as Femi Agboola.
The former MFfM usher further stated that he was prosecuted in 2008 without any tangible evidence to back up the allegation against him.
Addressing journalists on Friday, the MFM’s Chief Legal Adviser, Davidson Adejuwon, stated that the two had generated certain misconceptions among the public.
He mentioned that their claims of being locked up in jail for nine years for an offence they did not commit were false, mischievous, and cruel.
He said, “Let me quickly and briefly address some of the lies being told to the public on this issue, which have created some misconceptions among a section of the public.
“One of them is that MFM as a church and its General Overseer, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, have no forgiving spirit. Mr. Femi Jimoh is a perfect case study to prove that MFM as a church and its General Overseer are unrepentant forgivers.”
Adejuwon went on to say that, despite Jimoh’s mother’s request, the General Overseer did not keep the two in jail for nine years. He further stated that they were given bail but failed to complete their bail conditions.
He said, “Is it not curious to push the narrative that Dr. Olukoya, the General Overseer, locked them up when all members of their family refused to get two individuals for nine years to stand as their sureties for them to be released? Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) is a responsible church that takes the welfare, safety, and security of all its members very seriously.
“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 must 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.”
Adejuwon stated that all subsequent events at the police station and during the trial were absolutely outside the church’s control because it was a criminal matter involving the state and the defendants.
Responding to claims that the arrest followed Jimoh’s meeting with the then Chief Security Officer of the church, Olawale Gbadamosi, at a herbalist’s residence in Ogbomosho, Oyo State, Adejuwon remarked, “It is absurd to imagine that a church as big as MFM will go so low to frame up two of its pastors just because of the claim (which is false) that a CSO of the church was seen in a herbalist house.”
Gbadamosi, who was present at the briefing, denied the claim, saying, “I want to say before man and God that I have never set foot there to see any herbalist.”
One of the three individuals, Akeem Omojomolo, described how Jimoh and Caleb reportedly approached him about the operation, saying they intended to carry it out in February.
Omojomolo also described how they reportedly intended to transport the offering from the campground to the offices before the robbery.
He said, “He approached me and said he had a job he wanted me to be part of. He thereafter took me to a bar, where he told me that it was MFM’s job and it had to do with their offering money. I asked if he had told anyone, and he did not except someone called Aboki.
“Since I know the Aboki, I later called him and asked how he knew Femi, and he said he approached and said they wanted to rob the mountain of fire and that the operation would be carried out in February, when the offering would be brought from the camp to the headquarters. I and Aboki decided to inform the police, and we were advised to play along.
“When we got there, we said a lot of things. We asked him who was going to finance it, and he said Pastor Caleb. He said he had someone called Henry who was also a cultist. He said Pastor Caleb was in Mowe, Ibafo.
“We went to meet Pastor Caleb, and I asked when he would be available to come to Iwaya so that we could meet, but they did not know we were with the police. When he came to Iwaya, I called Aboki and involved another colleague, Orji, to explain to them.”
Fatai Adebayo, also known as Aboki, described how they cooperated and helped the police apprehend them.
He said, “He approached me and informed me about the deal and that it involved millions of naira, including dollars and checks. When Akeem returned from Mowe, where Caleb lives, we told the police again that we had met another accomplice. It was after then that we met a member of the church, popularly known as Omo IyaNiyi, who took us to the father of the GO’s wife in Surulere.
“The elderly man gave us a recording device, and during our next meeting, Pastor Caleb and Henry were also introduced to us as the ones who would sketch the plan.
“That day, they gave me 16,400 to rent bullets. The next meeting was scheduled to be held in the morning, and we planned with the police to arrest all of us once it was 9 a.m. On the day of the meeting, Jimoh was present, but we were waiting for Caleb. Caleb did not arrive until the police came in, rounded us up, and took us to the station. That was where he confessed.”
