“₦1bn Resurrection Scandal: Why Apostle Suleman Has Given SaharaReporters Just 48 Hours — Or All Hell Breaks Loose”
By Passman Akpos
A fresh storm is brewing in Nigeria’s religious and media circles as Apostle Johnson Suleman, General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International, has slammed SaharaReporters with a 48-hour ultimatum over what he calls a “malicious and defamatory” resurrection-miracle scandal.
The fiery preacher is demanding a full public retraction, national newspaper apologies, and a staggering ₦1 billion in damages after the online platform published a story alleging he supplied an “injection” used to stage a fake resurrection miracle.
The controversy erupted from claims by Apostle Wisdom — a self-proclaimed former associate of several Nigerian pastors — who alleged in a viral interview that Apostle O.C. Benjamin of Fulfillers House Church attempted a staged resurrection in Abakaliki using a substance he claimed originated from Suleman.
SaharaReporters amplified the claims in an April 4, 2025 publication titled:“Apostle Johnson Suleman Gave Fulfillers House Church’s O.C. Benjamin Injection to Make Someone Appear Dead for Staged Resurrection Miracle – Ex-Associate.”
The Viral Allegations
In the widely circulated interview on the KaaTruths Podcast, Apostle Wisdom painted a dramatic, scandalous account:
A hired young man allegedly paid to play dead
A rented ambulance and purchased casket
Paid actors posing as weeping relatives
Ushers resisting attempts to bring the coffin into a church hall
A man inside the coffin nearly suffocating before “sneezing” to trigger a staged miracle
Claims that Apostle Benjamin initially feared the “injection” linked to Suleman might kill the participant
Wisdom mockingly added that even “the angel in charge of raising the dead was confused that day because nobody died.”
His allegations, however, have now triggered a full-blown legal confrontation.
Suleman Strikes Back
In a letter dated April 8, 2025, addressed to SaharaReporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, Suleman’s legal representatives — Clement Onwuemunor & Co. — accused the news platform of publishing fabricated claims without any attempt at verification.
The letter described the story as:
> “An aggravated libellous assault crafted from the spiral imaginations of a mischief-maker.”
It further stated:
> “Our Client has never met any Apostle O.C. Benjamin, not to talk of giving him injection or substance to inject anyone to stage-manage resurrection miracles.”
To strengthen their rebuttal, the lawyers cited a new circulating video in which Apostle O.C. Benjamin himself reportedly denies ever meeting Suleman and labels Apostle Wisdom’s claims as false and malicious.
According to the legal team, SaharaReporters’ decision to publish the story despite the absence of verification amounts to a deliberate attempt to tarnish Suleman’s public image.
The 48-Hour Deadline
Suleman’s lawyers issued a strict list of demands to be met within two days:
1. Retract the publication from all online platforms.
2. Publish a formal apology across the same channels.
3. Run full-page apology adverts in Punch, Guardian, Vanguard, Tribune, and Sunday Sun.
4. Pay ₦1,000,000,000 (One Billion Naira) in damages.
Failure to comply, they warned, will force them to “perfect our Client’s standing instructions” — a phrase interpreted as a move toward major litigation.
The letter, copied to Apostle Suleman and marked Pre-Litigation Notice, signals what could become one of the biggest defamation battles between a Nigerian cleric and a media house in recent years.
With the ultimatum clock ticking, attention now turns to SaharaReporters: Will they retract, apologise, or brace for a billion-naira courtroom showdown?
