Chris Okafor, the Senior Pastor of the Mountain of Liberation and Miracles Ministries, has resigned from his pastoral position due to mounting indignation over several sexual accusations made against him.
During a service at his church last Sunday, the pastor publicly apologized to actress Doris Ogala. He knelt on the pulpit, acknowledged his previous “mistakes,” and asked for forgiveness.
According to Saturday PUNCH, the news comes after his December 16, 2025, wedding to a new bride, simply named Pearl, which was witnessed by well-known priests.
Despite Ogala’s widely circulated charges of betrayal, emotional manipulation, and breaking a vow of marriage following a long-term relationship, Okafor reportedly proceeded with the wedding.
However, a number of churchgoers denied the accusations in separate interviews with our correspondent, characterizing them as desperate attempts by people to demand money from their “man of God.”
The pressure to resign
Respected Christian leaders reportedly put pressure on Okafor to resign in order to ease tensions as the accusations intensified on social media in recent weeks, with additional women coming forward with differing accounts.
This was confirmed to one of our journalists by a top executive of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, who is close to the preacher.
The official continued, “There are more things to be done in terms of disciplinary actions.”
The insider clarified that because meetings could not be held to properly debate the issue, the festive season had slowed down PFN deliberations on the incident.
It was not possible to have meetings to discuss measures against Okafor. However, he has resigned for a month due to pressure from some of the leaders in the body of Christ. I think some choices about him would have been made by the end of the month,” the official said.
The official responded, “I don’t think it is the PFN that should do that,” when asked if the PFN would look into the accusations made against the pastor. We are neither a law enforcement organization nor the police. If there is a pastor being accused of rape, the PFN should not look into the matter.
“I want Nigerians to understand that no one can be arrested, even if we conduct any kind of investigation. Since this is a criminal case, the government ought to get involved.
This does not imply, however, that PFN does not take action in such circumstances. The Body of Christ, or PFN, can exercise what is known as spiritual discipline and pressure; the police should look into other matters. When it comes to criminal accusations, PFN lacks the statutory authority to look into or make an arrest.
He went on to say that even though PFN was handling the matter discreetly, its actions shouldn’t be interpreted as an official probe.
There are a number of things PFN is doing behind the scenes about Pastor Okafor’s case, but I don’t want to refer to them as an investigation. For present, it is not intended for public consumption. He resigned in part as a result of pressure from PFN and the Body of Christ.
“We had to step in and do our part when we saw the magnitude of the allegations, and it was already looking like a criminal matter, but the government also has to play its role,” the person continued.
Chris Okafor: “I resigned at God’s command.”
However, the pastor stated that he decided to resign in order to pursue spiritual rejuvenation in his sermon at the church’s New Year Crossover Service on Wednesday night.
“I’m going to be sleeping. The pastor informed his congregation, “It would be time for me and my wife to rest and for a personal retreat with God.”
We haven’t taken a break since getting married. We’ve run out of time. Our honeymoon is still ongoing. In order to return stronger and better from the Lord’s presence, we are taking a break from this January to pray, retreat, and rest.
According to Okafor, the hiatus would extend until February, however he clarified that it did not imply that he would completely miss church events.
The accusations
Actress Ogala shared a number of poignant videos on her Instagram page on December 14, sparking a wave of accusations against the clergyman.
She said in the videos that she had a sexual relationship with the pastor that started in 2017 and lasted for nine years.
The actress claimed that the clergyman repeatedly made marriage promises to her before being married to someone else in December 2025.
She also claimed in the tapes that Okafor had shared her obscene images and videos.
She claimed that the pastor caused her financial loss, personal suffering, and contributed to the dissolution of her previous marriage.
Along with some bedroom pictures and screenshots of chats, the actress posted videos alleging that a rival pastor engineered the claims and that the pastor sent her $10,000 to withdraw her statements.
After being seized and held by the police, she later filed a court notice through her legal team demanding N1 billion in damages, claiming intimidation and threats.
Other women also accused the pastor of sexual assault, manipulation, infidelity, and other related offenses as the crisis grew.
Among them was Bessem Okafor, his ex-wife, who charged Okafor with physical violence, infidelity, and deceit.
The woman claimed in a chat with well-known YouTuber Aunty Adunni that she left the clergyman 14 years ago because she was ashamed of his alleged behavior.
In a different video that our correspondent saw on Aunty Adunni’s YouTube channel, a woman known only as Ebere—who was allegedly a former choir member of Okafor’s church—also accused him of having extramarital affairs.
According to the woman, she allegedly had four abortions for the pastor during the many years of their relationship, which began around 2015.
Ebere stated that she eventually kept one pregnancy for him, which resulted in a kid, after the pastor repeatedly promised her a marriage but later backtracked.
A few days ago, another woman leveled new accusations against Okafor in a video that went viral on Instagram.
She claimed that she and her sister became pregnant as a result of the pastor’s alleged sexual contacts with them.
The woman insisted that she had proof to back up her assertions that the children involved looked like the pastor and demanded a DNA test to verify them.
A few days before Christmas, social media activist Martin Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan, posted an audio tape on his Instagram page in which a woman named Chidera Okafor, claiming to be the pastor’s daughter, accused him of making sexual approaches toward her in the house.
She claimed that after informing her mother about the incident, she was forced to leave their house in 2020.
However, in a video that went viral during the week, the pastor refuted the claim.
Since the victims have not filed a formal petition against the troubled preacher, the Lagos State Police Command has stated that it is unable to make an arrest.
Despite the circulating accusations on social media, Abimbola Adebisi, the command’s spokesman, told our correspondent that she was unaware of any complaints against Okafor.
“The department in charge of it would have given me a briefing if there were any. “Anyone can come forward with a petition,” Adebisi stated.
Members stand up for the pastor.
On Thursday and yesterday, our correspondents went to the church’s headquarters in Lagos’ Ojodu neighborhood.
One of our correspondents was instructed by a security officer and a church pastor to come back the next day to talk to some officials during the visit on Thursday.
Two women at the church reception, however, refused to comment on the situation or connect the reporter with anyone to address the accusations when the reporter returned yesterday, claiming the pastor had left everything to God.
However, two senior churchgoers who spoke with our correspondent rejected the accusations as fabrications, blackmail, and the product of critics.
According to one of them, Ruben Alufe, who claimed to have spent the last 20 years in the church, the accusations were made with malice in mind, he informed our correspondent.
“A good man of God is Pastor Okafor.” Ignore what people are saying. Alufe stated, “They only wish to blackmail him.”
“I’ve spent the last 20 years as a member of his church. He has served as both my father in the Lord and my pastor. He and I have been quite close. I can thus state with confidence that the widely circulated accusations against him are untrue. They don’t exist.
Alufe added that he had a close-up view of everyday activities because his wife’s store had been on Church Street for many years.
He highlighted Okafor’s contributions to the community and asked why someone would spread lies about the pastor.
“Okafor truly is a man of God.” This road was built for the community by him. “So, why should people say such things about someone?” he inquired.
The second member, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed that the claims were untrue based on their timing.
Before he got married, did you hear all of these things? Have you come across something similar on the internet? That indicates that the bloggers’ claims are untrue,” the participant stated.
“There are just 419 individuals responsible for the accusations. Their only goal is to make money. A lot of people use social media to disseminate false information.
Additionally, a church minister who wished to remain anonymous described the incident as one of the spiritual difficulties associated with service.
You have to realize that we live in a cruel world. You don’t do anything that will make people happy. “They have to say something positive or negative about you,” the pastor stated.
“A number of other men of God have experienced similar times for the majority of these things because if there is a next level, there will undoubtedly be a next devil,” he continued. There isn’t a preacher who can’t overcome obstacles. For a man of God, it can be like that at times.
“I can still declare with confidence that my pastor is a man of God, regardless of what others may say. I believe him when he claims on the pulpit that everything that bloggers are writing about him is false. I have no right to judge him. I am not divine.
Christian leaders and CAN advise prudence
Speaking on the subject, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria’s Lagos branch, counseled ministers to live out the teachings they preach and to remember that they will eventually have to account for their stewardship.
Because judgment will begin in God’s house, he stated, “Ministers must do as I do and not do as I say.”
Adegbite went on to say that not all those claiming to be pastors are truly called, characterizing others as self-appointed clergy members motivated by selfish interests.
The Christian leader emphasized the necessity for fear of God despite human imperfection and asked preachers to maintain godly standards in the New Year.
According to him, the church might think about giving a pastor another chance if he had acknowledged his mistakes, expressed regret to the congregation, and agreed to pay back the money.
He stated, “His life can become a testimony to others if he repents genuinely.”
Speaking as well, Archbishop Osazee William, the International Secretary of the Ecumenical Synods of Bishops, Archbishops, Apostles, and Senior Clergy in London, stated that problems involving pastors frequently receive more attention than comparable actions by other members of society.
Although sin should never be excused, William pointed out that the Bible teaches forgiveness and reconciliation and that pastors are fallible human beings.
“People do worse things than this, but it takes a different dimension once a pastor is involved,” he said. Pastors are people. While the Bible states that a virtuous man falls seven times and the Lord pardons him, wrongdoing is undoubtedly wrong.
He asked whether the purpose of making such issues public was to exalt Jesus or to disgrace the church and the altar.
He gave examples of how the public was not outraged by the behavior of traditional rulers and others, pointing out that identical acts by pastors are frequently depicted in various ways.
But William cautioned pastors to be aware of their shortcomings and exercise caution, emphasizing that self-control was essential to avoiding circumstances that would derail their calling.
Pastors need to be cognizant of their boundaries and self-discipline. To avoid succumbing to your vulnerabilities, you must make a covenant with yourself, he stated.
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