In the wake of intense criticism directed at Pastor Abel Damina, Idah Peterside stepped forward with a dramatic account of his experiences with the controversial cleric

The former Super Eagles player threw down some serious gauntlets, accusing Damina of not just swindling him but also orchestrating elaborate schemes to defraud others

His bombshell claims have intensified the already seething uproar, casting a darker shadow over Damina’s reputation and fueling the growing storm of controversy.

Idah Peterside, the former Nigerian international football goalkeeper turned cleric, has stepped into the spotlight, leveling explosive accusations against Dr. Abel Damina, the Founder and President of Abel Damina Ministries International and CEO of Kingdom Life Network.

Peterside, now a sports pundit and pastor at Christ Ambassadors Church in South Africa, didn’t hold back in his critique of Damina, known for his provocative teachings and frequent jabs at fellow pastors.

Peterside’s revelations paint a damning picture of Damina, alleging that the revered cleric’s fervor for financial gain led him down a path of deceit and fraud.

According to Peterside, Damina, despite his undeniable anointing and divine calling, has been unable to curb his insatiable appetite for money. He claims Damina has swindled numerous people, including himself, in a series of manipulative financial schemes.

Adding fuel to the fire, Peterside shared a personal anecdote: Damina allegedly solicited $1,000 from him with promises of a miraculous financial return.

The Super Eagles legend claimed Damina had assured him that sowing this ‘seed’ would yield a bountiful harvest.

Ironically, Peterside admitted to have experienced a windfall of $10,000, but he refuses to attribute this stroke of luck to Damina’s ‘seed-sowing’ promises, instead hintingly dismissing it as a mere coincidence.

He added that Abel Damina’s rumored financial woes and the strife plaguing his ministry are divine retributions, a personal reckoning from God designed to force him to confront and amend his ways.

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The Port Elizabeth High Court in Gqeberha, South Africa, has dismissed an application by a Nigerian pastor, Timothy Omotoso, and two others to declare evidence against them in a rape and trafficking case inadmissible.

The case
Mr Omotoso, 63, and his female assistants, Lusanda Sulani, 41, and Zikiswa Sitho, 33, were arrested in April 2017 over allegations of rape and trafficking.

Based in South Africa, the Nigerian cleric founded Jesus Dominion International Church, with branches in Israel and Nigeria.

Mr Omotoso and his assistants are facing 32 counts, including racketeering, trafficking in people, rape and sexual assault.

He was denied bail while his two assistants – all South Africans – had since been granted bail.

The two assistants were accused of being accomplices in the alleged crimes.

The charges against the defendants were initially 63 but later reduced to 32 after some witnesses indicated they had lost interest in pursuing the case due to delay.

Dismissal of application
Mr Omotoso and the two others, through their lawyer, Peter Daubermann, asked the court to declare the evidence against them inadmissible.

The accused argued that the evidence was obtained “unconstitutionally.”

But the court, presided by Irma Schoeman, dismissed the application and ruled that the evidence would be considered in the trial, Daily Sun, a South African newspaper, reported on 21 August.

Luxolo Tyali, the regional spokesperson of Eastern Cape’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), told the newspaper that the decision came after previous applications by the televangelist for five special entries for a mistrial.

The National Prosecuting Authority is the South African agency responsible for the country’s prosecutions.

“Judge Irma Schoeman had previously dismissed their application for discharge, and the state was ready to proceed with the remaining proceedings in the trial, meaning that the accused must present their case and they will be subject to cross-examination by the state,” Mr Tyali said.

The spokesperson said those who accused Mr Omotoso of rape and trafficking included members of his church, employees or people selected to participate in church activities.

Mr Tyali said some of the employees were recruited under the pretext that they would benefit spiritually or improve the quality of their lives.

“Omotoso allegedly, directly or indirectly through his co-accused, paid and arranged for the complainants to travel to his hotels in Durban, Israel or Nigeria.

“However, once the complainants arrived, Omotoso or his assistants would inform them of house rules which included that their cellphones be switched off, they were not to contact their male companions and they were to obey his instructions,” he stated.

He said the complainants and other female church members were allegedly kept in one room where they also slept.

Mr Tyali added that Mr Omotoso would allegedly select one of the complainants to go to his private bedroom, where he allegedly raped or sexually assaulted them.

He said the matter has been adjourned until 9 November.

Premium Times

Recent protests over bad governance and the cost of living in Nigeria have provoked renewed calls for a return to the regional system of government, including from the bishops of Africa’s most populous country.

Nigeria practiced a more regional form of government between 1954 and 1966, the Western, Eastern, and Northern regions. The Mid-Western region was later carved out of the Western region in 1963.

The model lasted until 1966, but when rebellious soldiers killed national political figures based mostly on tribal and regional affiliations. After this, Nigeria’s first military Head of State, General Aguiyi Ironsi, promulgated the “unification decree” in order to eliminate tribal and regional loyalties, the interests perceived to be encouraged by regionalism.

This led to the Biafra War – when the southern part of Nigeria dominated by the Igbo people declared independence. A violent conflict from 1967–1970 led to millions of deaths, before the separatist movement was suppressed.

Nigeria suffered military rule for several decades, and finally formed a more legitimate democracy in 1999, still under the unified government imposed by the army.

Still, the regional system is perceived by many Nigerians to have been behind significant developments because it fostered healthy competition among the regions.

The nation’s Catholic bishops now say the 25-year experiment with the military-imposed presidential system has failed Nigeria, which has been highlighted by the recent protests.

“Having experimented with the presidential system of government for over 25 years and having groped in the dark in search of solutions to our socio-economic problems, now seems to be the opportune time to heed the advice of some of our best minds canvassing our return to the former regional system of government, as envisaged by the wise founding fathers of our nation or devolve power to the present six geo-political zones,” said Archbishop Lucius Ugorji of Owerri, the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).

He said the current system is too costly to run and breeds corruption — factors that contributed to the recent deadly End Bad Governance protests.

Ugorji criticized the killings during the protests and noted that addressing the economic hardships of Nigerians go beyond the economic reforms proposed by the current government of President Bola Tinubu.

“When all is said and done, we must admit that the cost of running our military-imposed presidential system of government with so many elected officials assisted by numerous support staff is staggering and unsustainable,” he said.

“We must also acknowledge that the corruption level of many Nigerian politicians has gone beyond scale and measure and that controlling our national resources at the federal government level creates more opportunities for corruption to flourish,” the bishop said.

A draft bill titled “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria New Governance Model for Nigeria Act 2024” proposing a return to the regional system recently went viral on social media.

The House of Representatives later denied that such a bill had come before it for scrutiny, but its author, Akin Fapounda, a retired director in the federal civil service has promised to forward it to President Bola Tinubu, hoping he may present it to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill, barring any last-minute changes.

This proposed model of government resonates with calls for restructuring Nigeria’s government.

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja underscored the need for “true and proper federalism.”

He said such a constitutional reform would “fizzle out separatist agitation… and there will be peace in Nigeria.”

Kaigama also said Nigeria will only experience a true sense of national unity if elections are not organized in a way that it is “monopolized by one or two ethnic groups.”

Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto noted that restructuring has become the catch phrase in Nigeria.

“It may not explain everything, but it at least is a simple way of saying, we are not happy. Whether it is IPOB [Indigenous People of Biafra separatist group] or the Niger Delta militants or Boko Haram, Nigerians are not happy. That is why I have argued that what is required urgently is not the fuzzy and dubious promises to fight corruption even when the same corruption is the vehicle that has brought the government to power, but a clear message about national cohesion and how we can hold together,” he said.

“The reality is that years and years of military rule have created a regime of incentives for those in power which borders on outright larceny … So, restructuring is another name for a sense of belonging, a sense of justice, a feeling of fairness, a feeling that we can measure the weight of our sweat, a sense that we must end what we say in Nigeria, monkey works, the baboon eats,” Kukah told Crux.

Embracing regionalism would enable each region to manage its own resources and remit royalties to the central government.

This approach contrasts sharply with the current system in Nigeria, where economic power and resource control are centralized within the Federal Government, which then distributes revenues to state and local governments.

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Popular prophet of the Celestial Church of Christ, Israel Ogundipe, has revealed how a bank offered him N1 billion loan.

Ogundipe, who is the founder of Genesis Global Ministry, Lagos, said he was offered the loan to help him expand his ministry to reach more members globally.

He revealed this while speaking on a show of popular Nigerian On-Air Personality, Ifedayo Olarinde, also known as Daddy Freeze on Tuesday.

He also mentioned that the bank, which he refused to name, showed him details of churches that have collected similar loans.

Ogundipe explained that from the list he was shown, some churches took loans ranging from N3 billion to N4 billion.

“A bank called me two months ago and said they wish to loan me N1 billion. They offered me the loan and I asked them what for. They replied that they know churches are getting it (loan) and I would be able to pay it back because they know my church is big.

“Then I asked them how they want me to be paying back, and they said when we are doing revivals, crusades, we’ll be paying back monthly.

“And they mentioned some churches who got loans from them ranging from N3 billion to N4 billion. And I asked them how they expected me to pay back such an amount and they said those that collect such loans, that’s why they would never stop doing conferences, crusades, and revivals, and from there, they would get money to pay back,” the pastor said.

Ogundipe was in 2020 convicted and sentenced to jail for defrauding a London-based architect and converting her property for personal use.

The pastor was arraigned on a seven-count which includes stealing, unlawful conversion of property, forgery, and fraudulently collecting sums of N14m and £ 12,000 from the victim between 2002 and 2005.

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Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has been appointed with a new title.

He has been named the Patron of the Ecumenical Synod of Bishops, Archbishops, and Senior Clergy Inc. (ESBAASC).
The announcement was made during the group’s international conference held from August 22 to 25 at Emmanuel Park, RCCG Redemption Camp, according to Church Times, as reported by Gistlover.

The conference, titled “Religious Tolerance in Nigeria and Across the Nations of the World,” aimed to tackle the challenges and strategies related to religious tolerance.

He has been appointed as the Patron of the Ecumenical Synod of Bishops, Archbishops, and Senior Clergy Inc. (ESBAASC).

The declaration was made during the group’s international conference, which was held from August 22 to 25 at Emmanuel Park, RCCG Redemption Camp, according to Church Times.

ESBAASC, a Christian leaders’ alliance, is committed to promote unity and discussion across Christian faiths, as well as promoting religious cooperation and understanding.Archbishop Prof. Kehinde Olubunmi, the International Prelate and Chief Host, attended the occasion and nominated Pastor Adeboye as Patron.

Archbishop Prof. Mary Ajisafe, the Overseer of the Peace of God Ministry in Lagos, has also been appointed Matron of ESBAASC. Both nominations were welcomed with a standing ovation from the audience.

Archbishop Olubunmi emphasized the group’s collaboration with worldwide organizations to improve religious tolerance in Nigeria and spread this attitude across Africa.

Pastor Adeboye, accompanied by RCCG National Overseer Emeritus Pastor Joseph Obayemi, took a reflective stance, recalling his youth and experiences of peaceful cohabitation with people of other religions.

He explained how his early experiences with Muslims and other religious groups represented peaceful coexistence.

Pastor Adeboye defined religious tolerance as the promotion of mutual understanding and unity among different cultures.

He also stated that much of the religious and sectarian violence in Nigeria is politically motivated, and is frequently utilised during times of economic and social turmoil.

Pastor Adeboye encouraged attendees to campaign for religious tolerance, emphasizing that true Christians should prioritize love and the preservation of life over violence and division.

From Adeboye to Oyedepo, Kumuyi, Enenche, Ibiyeomie, Jerry Eze, Suleman, and Fufeyin—the names go on—Damina has spared none, challenging their teachings and doctrines whenever the chance arises.

He has now entered the light to explain the burning reason behind his relentless confrontations.

Dr. Abel Damina, the Senior Pastor of Power City International, has finally lifted the veil on the boiling passion that fuels his relentless crusade against fellow men of God.

In recent months, Pastor Damina has become the center of attention, grabbing headlines with his controversial teachings and unflinching rebukes aimed at some of the most powerful pastors in the nation.

The Christian community was left reeling when Damina unleashed a storm of criticism against Nigerian clerical giants like Enoch Adeboye, David Oyedepo, and David Ibiyeomie. In viral videos that sent shockwaves through the religious world, Damina took these revered figures to task, calling out their rigid insistence on tithes, a practice he condemned as unscriptural and misleading.

But Damina’s critique didn’t stop there. The General Overseer of Deeper Life Bible Church, William Kumuyi, also found himself in the crosshairs. In a trending clip from one of his sermons, Damina unapologetically challenged what he perceived as glaring double standards within Kumuyi’s church.

Also, in recent weeks, the fiery preacher has turned his gaze toward the younger generation of clerics, including Paul Enenche, Jerry Eze, Jeremiah Fufeyin, and others. Damina boldly questioned their teachings, methods of miracles, and doctrines, accusing them of leading their followers astray with practices he views as nothing short of heretical.

Addressing the firestorm of controversy surrounding his actions, Pastor Abel Damina, in one of his sermons, passionately explained the driving force behind his unyielding criticism.

He revealed that he sees himself as a beacon of light, tasked with purging what he perceives as the dark and questionable doctrines being propagated by his fellow clerics. In his eyes, these teachings threaten the true essence of the gospel, and he is determined to expose and correct them.

Pastor Damina argued that those who feel targeted by his words should not take offense but should instead reflect on the scriptural soundness of their teachings.

According to him, many of these prominent pastors are not as scripturally grounded as they should be, and his mission is to challenge them to return to the true tenets of the faith, free from the distortions of modern-day practices.