By Paul Joseph
Nigerian Police Force has apprehended UK-based Nigerian blogger Maureen Badejo following complaints allegedly filed against her by prominent Christian leaders.
Reports indicate that Badejo was taken into custody in Lagos on Friday by detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
An unnamed source revealed that she is currently being questioned at the police Cybercrime Unit in the Yaba area of the state.
The arrest reportedly stemmed from petitions submitted by Apostle Johnson Suleiman, the General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries, and Dr. Daniel Olukoya, the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM).
While the specifics of the allegations remain unclear at this time, sources suggest that they are related to Badejo’s online publications and social media activities.
As of Friday evening, the police had not released an official statement detailing the charges against her or the legal grounds for her ongoing detention.
Attempts to contact Force Public Relations Officer Benjamin Hundeyin for comments were unsuccessful.
In August 2023, SaharaReporters reported that Badejo had declined an offer from Apostle Suleiman to pay £500 monthly toward a judgment sum of £19,601 that the UK High Court had awarded against him.
In March 2022, the court had ordered Suleiman to pay this amount as part of the sanctions in a defamation lawsuit he filed against Badejo. She was subsequently summoned to court over allegations of defaming the cleric.
SaharaReporters also noted that Nigerians living abroad had raised funds to assist Badejo with her legal defense, as she appealed to her viewers and supporters for financial help to cover her legal expenses.
A ruling obtained by SaharaReporters indicated that UK Judge His Honour Judge Lewis dismissed Suleman’s application under Claim No. QB-2022-000504 on March 10, 2022, and ordered him to pay Badejo £19,601.
In December 2023, SaharaReporters reported that former MFM Pastor Sunday Bawura Olowoyeye had filed a N1 billion lawsuit against Olukoya, alleging illegal and oppressive detention, and claimed that his life was threatened by Olukoya.
Olowoyeye, who joined MFM in 1993 and became a pastor in 1995, stated that he served in various states until 2021 when he left due to the church’s neglect of him and his family during his wife’s serious illness.
Court documents obtained by reporters revealed that he was arrested and held for 16 days at the Federal Criminal Investigation Department in Alagb.
Credit: Sahara Reporters
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