Maxwell Okpara, counsel to Dr. Chris Okafor, Senior Pastor of Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministries (also known as Grace Nation Liberation City), has issued a warning to self-acclaimed activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, and a young woman who introduced herself as Miss Chi, claiming to be Okafor’s daughter.
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Okpara demanded an immediate halt to the ongoing cyber attacks, bullying, harassment, stalking, and criminal defamation targeting his client.
Dr. Okpara called for immediate retraction of all false, malicious, and defamatory statements concerning Pastor Okafor, publication of an apology in two national newspapers, with copies sent to relevant authorities, cessation of all claims or implications of any familial relationship with Okafor, submission to a DNA test by the young woman and her sibling at a mutually agreed reputable facility, in the absence of a previously claimed DNA certificate, removal of all online content falsely associating Okafor with claims of paternity or abandonment.
Okpara warned that failure to comply would leave his client with no option but to pursue all available legal remedies to protect his reputation, integrity, and ministry.
Full Statement by Dr. Chris Okafor’s Counsel:
“Gentlemen of the Press,
We are counsel to Pastor Dr. Chris Okafor, hereinafter referred to as Our Client, on whose instructions and authority we issue this press briefing in conjunction with concerned members of civil society groups.
It has come to our notice, as well as to public attention, that acts of cyber incitement, cyber bullying, cyber harassment, cyber stalking, criminal defamation, and malicious impersonation have been perpetrated against our Client by Martins Vincent Otse (popularly known as VeryDarkMan) and a young lady who introduced herself as Miss Chi.
You may recall that earlier acts of cyber bullying, cyber stalking, and the publication of scandalous and libellous articles and comments against our Client were initiated by one Ms. Doris Ogala and her cohorts. However, our focus in this briefing is not on her laughable and gold-digging narrative, which was calculated to exploit our Client through cheap blackmail, especially in view of the ongoing investigations and interventions by various law enforcement agencies. We respectfully allow the wheels of justice to take their full course in that regard.
It is, however, worrisome that while the foregoing matters remain inconclusive and under investigation, a fresh wave of disturbing and disparaging stories emerged, once again setting the social media space agog and maliciously targeting the personality of our Client.
We have become aware that an individual who identifies herself as Ms. Chi Okafor has been presenting herself online as the biological daughter of our Client, Pastor Dr. Chris Okafor. She has been making false, misleading, and defamatory claims regarding his personal life and family relationships, including allegations of abandonment and neglect of paternal responsibilities.
Ordinarily, our Client would not have joined issues or responded to the antics of characterless, jobless agents of destruction. He is fully aware of the agenda of those sponsoring such individuals to pull down his ministry. However, he has decided to respond specifically to the false claim by the said Miss Chi that she is his biological daughter, in order to set the record straight.
We therefore state categorically, emphatically, and unequivocally that the claims made by the so-called Ms. Chi Okafor are entirely false, misleading, malicious, inciting, and gravely injurious to the personality and character of our Client.
Before narrating the true facts, it is important to inform you that our Client has formally written a warning letter to Martins Vincent Otse (VeryDarkMan), who has persistently used his social media platforms—Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, among others—to harass, defame, incite the public against our Client, and issue threats under the guise of activism, all in a bid to destroy him, his ministry, and satisfy his paymasters.
One is left to wonder how an individual who claims to be an activist could unlawfully publish an interview with a lady falsely claiming to be our Client’s biological daughter, thereby criminally defaming him across the internet, without having the decency to reach out to our Client for his side of the story. This was done purely for self-serving purposes, cheap content creation, and online popularity, based on the assumption that our Client, being a pastor, would not respond on social media.
For the record, we wish to set out the true facts which this impostor has deliberately concealed, twisted, and perverted in an attempt to destroy the goodwill our Client has built over the years in both life and ministry.
It is our Client’s instruction that several years ago, during the early stage of his pastoral journey, a woman approached him and alleged that she was pregnant for him. Being a responsible and respected young gospel preacher at the time, our Client accepted responsibility and decided to marry the woman. Shortly thereafter, the woman began to live a lifestyle unbecoming of a preacher’s wife and, unfortunately, became pregnant again. In the interest of peace and maintaining an intact home, our Client continued to shoulder responsibilities as a father.
In the course of events, our Client suffered a traumatic ordeal when he was kidnapped and held captive for approximately fifty (50) days. During this period, the kidnappers contacted the supposed wife to demand ransom, but she denied knowing our Client. At some point, members of our Client’s extended family intervened, raised money, and handed it over to the supposed wife to secure his release. Regrettably, she diverted the funds and deceived the kidnappers.
By divine intervention and mercy, our Client was eventually released without any assistance from the supposed wife, despite the intervention of his extended family.
Following his release, serious misunderstandings arose between our Client and the supposed wife due to her neglect and conduct during his abduction. In the heat of an argument, our Client questioned her sincerity and commitment. It was during this exchange that the woman made a startling statement, asking: “Do you even think the children of this marriage are yours?” Having made similar insinuations previously, our Client attached weight to the statement and demanded a DNA test.
Ladies and gentlemen of the Press, the DNA test results shockingly returned negative, confirming that neither the first nor the second child was biologically related to our Client. The DNA test certificate is in the possession of the impostor’s mother, and our Client hereby challenges her to produce the said certificate or test result to the public.
Consequently, following this revelation, our Client and the impostor’s mother dissolved the supposed marriage and severed all personal ties. The woman left with the children.
Despite these findings, and purely out of compassion and goodwill, our Client has continued to support the children’s education and general welfare, including assisting them through their academic and career pursuits in Canada and the United Kingdom respectively. This humanitarian gesture must not, however, be misconstrued or misrepresented as an acknowledgment of paternity.
Gentlemen of the Press, any assertion suggesting that our Client abandoned a spouse or children is therefore false, misleading, defamatory, and constitutes cyber bullying.
For the avoidance of doubt, we reiterate that the continued public portrayal of Ms. Lilian Okafor and her sibling as children of our Client, as well as the publication of statements alleging abandonment, amount to gross misrepresentation and libel. Such actions are damaging, misleading, and wholly unacceptable.
Accordingly, we formally demand as follows:
A. Immediate retraction of all false, defamatory, and misleading statements published online or elsewhere concerning our Client, accompanied by a written apology published in two (2) national newspapers, with copies forwarded to the appropriate authorities.
B. Immediate cessation and desistance from further presenting or implying any familial relationship with our Client.
C. A challenge to the impostor to submit herself and her sibling for a DNA test at a mutually agreed and reputable health facility, in the absence of the earlier DNA certificate allegedly in her possession.
D. Immediate removal of all content that falsely associates our Client with claims of paternity or abandonment.
TAKE NOTICE that failure to comply with these demands will leave our Client with no option but to pursue all available legal remedies to protect his reputation, integrity, and ministry.
This statement is issued to clarify the facts, prevent further dissemination of falsehoods, and reaffirm our Client’s unwavering commitment to truth, dignity, and fairness.
