Police Probe Stalls as Pastor Chris Okafor Skips SCID Summons Over Rape Allegations

|By Chinwendu Nwani

The Senior Pastor of Mountain of Liberation and Miracles Ministries, Chris Okafor, failed to honour a police invitation on Monday over allegations of multiple rape and other offences considered capable of disrupting public order.

Okafor was expected to appear before the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Lagos, by 10:00 a.m., but did not show up as scheduled.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, had disclosed in a Sunday briefing that the Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, ordered a comprehensive investigation into petitions filed against the cleric. According to the police, the complaints border on alleged sexual misconduct and actions that could threaten public peace.

An officer at SCID, who spoke anonymously, confirmed that Okafor ignored the summons.

“Following the Commissioner’s directive, the Deputy Commissioner instructed the investigating team to debrief him, but he did not appear. By evening, it was clear he would not be coming,” the officer said.

Another source familiar with the investigation said the cleric allegedly contacted the police through intermediaries to seek more time.

“We received calls from his aides requesting an extension and assuring the police that he would present himself at a later date. That is the situation as of now,” the source disclosed.

Efforts to obtain an update from the police spokesperson on Monday proved unsuccessful, as calls and messages to her office were not returned at the time of filing this report.