The Senior Pastor of the Mountain of Liberation and Miracles Ministries, Chris Okafor, has stepped aside from pastoral duties amid mounting public outrage over multiple sexual allegations levelled against him.
The cleric had last Sunday publicly apologised to actress Doris Ogala during a church service, where he knelt on the pulpit, admitted to past “mistakes,” and asked for forgiveness, reports Saturday PUNCH.
His decision comes days after he married a new bride, identified simply as Pearl, on December 16, 2025, at a ceremony attended by prominent clerics.
Despite Ogala’s viral accusations of betrayal, emotional manipulation and reneging on a promise of marriage after a long-term relationship, Okafor was said to have proceeded with the wedding.
Several members of the church, however, dismissed the allegations in separate interviews with Saturday PUNCH, describing them as desperate attempts by individuals seeking to extort money from their “man of God.”
As the allegations intensified on social media in recent weeks, with more women coming forward with different accounts, it was gathered that respected Christian leaders pressured Okafor to step aside to ease growing tension.
A senior executive of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, who is close to the pastor, confirmed this.
“There are more things to be done in terms of disciplinary actions,” the official added.
The source explained that the festive period slowed deliberations within the PFN, as meetings could not be convened to formally address the scandal.
“Meetings could not be held to deliberate on actions against him (Okafor). But from the pressure from some of the leaders in the body of Christ, he has stepped down for a month. I believe that before the month ends, some decisions would have been made concerning him,” the official stated.
Asked whether the PFN would investigate the allegations, the official said, “I don’t think it is the PFN that should do that. We are not the police, nor are we a law enforcement agency. If there is an allegation of rape against a pastor, it is not the PFN that should investigate it. I want Nigerians to get this right: even if we do any form of inquiry, we cannot arrest anyone. This is a criminal case, and the government should step in.
“However, this does not mean that PFN does not act in situations like this. What PFN or the body of Christ can do is what we call spiritual pressure and discipline; there are other areas where the police should investigate. PFN does not have the statutory power to investigate or arrest when it comes to criminal allegations.”
He added that although the PFN was engaging the matter quietly, its actions should not be mistaken for a formal investigation.
“On Pastor Okafor’s matter, there are a lot of things PFN is doing behind the scenes, but I don’t want to call these things an investigation. It is not for public consumption for now. His stepping down is part of the action that PFN and the body of Christ pressured him to take.
“When we saw the enormity of the allegations, and it was already looking like a criminal matter, we had to step in and do our part, but the government also has to play its role,” the source added.
Speaking during the church’s New Year crossover service on Wednesday night, Okafor said his decision to step aside was based on spiritual reasons.
“I will be resting. It would be time for personal retreat with God and time for me and my wife to rest,” the pastor told his congregation.
“Since our wedding, we have not rested. We have not had time. We have not even done our honeymoon. So, we are stepping aside to pray, to have a retreat and to rest from this January, and to return better and stronger from the presence of the Lord.”
Okafor said the break, which he noted would not mean total absence from church activities, would last until February.
The series of allegations against the cleric began on December 14, when actress Ogala shared several emotional videos on her Instagram page.
In the videos, she accused the pastor of having a sexual relationship with her, allegedly beginning in 2017 and lasting nine years.
She claimed the cleric repeatedly promised to marry her before eventually marrying another woman in December 2025.
Ogala also accused Okafor of sharing her explicit photos and videos.
She further alleged that the pastor contributed to the collapse of her previous marriage and caused her emotional distress and financial loss.
The actress shared bedroom photos, screenshots of conversations, and videos alleging that the pastor sent her $10,000 to retract her claims and accuse a rival pastor of orchestrating the allegations.
She later demanded N1bn in damages through a legal notice filed by her lawyers, alleging threats and intimidation following her arrest and detention by the police.
As the controversy deepened, other women also accused the pastor of sexual misconduct, manipulation and infidelity.
One of them, his former wife, Bessem Okafor, accused him of infidelity, deception and physical assault.
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In an interview with popular YouTuber Aunty Adunni, she said she left the cleric 14 years ago due to the shame surrounding his alleged actions.
In another video shared on Aunty Adunni’s YouTube channel and seen by Saturday PUNCH, a woman identified simply as Ebere, said to be a former member of the church choir, accused the pastor of having a secret affair with her.
She alleged that the relationship began around 2015 and lasted for several years, during which she had four abortions for him.
Ebere claimed the pastor repeatedly promised her marriage but later backed out, adding that she eventually kept one pregnancy, which resulted in a child.
A few days ago, another woman surfaced in a video on Instagram, accusing the pastor of having sexual relations with her and her sister, which she said led to pregnancies.
She claimed the children resembled the pastor and called for a DNA test, insisting she had evidence to support her allegations.
Social media activist Martin Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, also shared an audio clip on his Instagram page days before Christmas, in which a woman, Chidera Okafor, who claimed to be the pastor’s daughter, accused him of making amorous advances towards her at home.
She alleged that the incident forced her to flee the house in 2020 after reporting the matter to her mother.
The claim was, however, dismissed by the pastor in a viral video circulated during the week.
The Lagos State Police Command has said it cannot arrest the pastor, noting that no formal petition has been submitted by any of the alleged victims.
Speaking to Saturday PUNCH, the command’s spokesperson, Abimbola Adebisi, said she was not aware of any complaint against Okafor despite the allegations circulating online.
“If there is any, the department handling it would have briefed me. Anyone with a petition can come forward,” Adebisi said.