POLICE REPORT FINGERS RENO OMOKRI, OTHERS IN ALLEGED SLANDER OF TOP CHRISTIAN CLERICS
POLICE REPORT FINGERS RENO OMOKRI, OTHERS IN ALLEGED SLANDER OF TOP CHRISTIAN CLERICS The report of the investigation launched by the Nigeria Police Force into allegations of cyber-bullying, criminal defamation, and the dissemination of false information targeting high-profile religious leaders, including Pastor Paul Enenche, founder of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, identified Pastor Paul Enenche as the complainant. The investigation, detailed in police case titled CR:242/2024, stems from a petition filed by legal counsel Patrick Ocheja Okolo (SAN) on behalf of Pastor Enenche and James Paul Adama, as the complainants. The complainant accuses individuals and entities, including Reno Omokri, Gistlover Blog, Aunty Adunni, Kelechi TV, and Peter Obonyilo Enenche, of publishing malicious content aimed at discrediting Pastor Paul Enenche. They were also accused of making “blasphemous, heretic, malicious and scandalous publications” against the Christian church and Christian leaders such as Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of Christ Embassy, Pastor W.F. Kumuyi of the Deeper Life Church, Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Paul Enenche of Dunamis International Gospel Centre and others not listed. The petition, directed to the Inspector General of Police and for the attention of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Intelligence Department (FID), alleges that the defamatory and malicious content targeting prominent Christian leaders has spread widely across social media platforms. According to the petition, the suspects allegedly manipulated sermon clips, distorted statements, and disseminated defamatory materials on social media platforms, including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). These acts, the petition claims, were designed to smear the reputations of revered Christian leaders, incite public disaffection, and sow division within Christendom. According to the certified investigation report, suspect Peter Obonyilo Enenche allegedly posted defamatory content on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) in June and September 2024. The report highlights multiple publications, including a video by Kelechi TV and posts by Reno Omokri and other entities. The petitioners claim these publications have caused harm to the reputations of the affected religious leaders and their ministries, leading to public backlash and discord among Christians in Nigeria. The complainants alleged that the posts, alongside other defamatory content by the suspects, have caused emotional distress and reputational damage to clerics and their churches. “Their actions thus far constitute offenses of criminal defamation, peddling injurious falsehoods, and inciting the public against the church and revered men of God. These are crimes punishable under the extant laws of Nigeria,” they claimed. “Their actions have untold emotional, mental, and psychological consequences, with potential suicidal ideation, low self esteem and frustration on the psyche of their targeted victims,” the complainants said. “Churches like the Redeemed Christian Church of God and their general overseer, the highly revered Pastor Enoch Adeboye; the Living Faith Church (Winners’ Chapel) and their revered President, Bishop David Oyedepo; the Deeper Life Bible Church and their founder and general overseer, Pastor W.F. Kumuyi; Christ Embassy Church and their general overseer, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome; Dunamis International Gospel Centre, and their Senior Pastor, Dr Paul Enenche, among others,” have been subjected to baseless and defamatory attacks,” they claimed. “I have attached overleaf the list of their controversial heresy and blasphemous comments against the church and her leaders. “They have used various platforms to disseminate false and harmful information about these respected individuals, causing irreparable damage to their reputations and their ministries, thereby subjecting them to unwarranted public embarrassment and opprobrium. “Their comments and pronouncements against the church and her leaders in Nigeria are part of their heinous machinations or grand orchestration to cause disaffection, division, contention, rivalry, disruption, disunity, polarization, social anarchy, disloyalty, disorder, rebellion, uprising, chaos, destabilization, outcry, mass apostasy, apathy in the Christian Church with the ultimate intent to weaken the faith of many in the…