YouTuber Israel Balogun’s lawyer, Inibehe Effiong has asked the founder of the Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman, to go to court.
Effiong dared Suleman in a rejoinder at the weekend in reaction to the cleric’s lawyer’s claims.
The counsel, Samuel Amune, had noted that Balogun was not reported to the police because he expressed his view against Suleman’s money miracles.
“He was reported because of the name calling and we will not stop at this. We will go after anyone who goes to the internet to insult men of God”, Amune threatened.
Effiong condemned his colleague’s “misleading and provocative press statement” issued after the widely condemned arrest and detention of Balogun.
The Special Enquiry Bureau of the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID) in Abuja questioned and released the YouTuber after public outcry.
Effiong said the Amune accused Balogun of calling Suleman “unprintable names”, an allegation his client, in written statement to the police at FCIID, refuted.
Noting that majority of the said words and expressions were not used, the fiery attorney said Balogun unapologetically stands by the remarks in his video.
“The police admitted that most of the words that the Apostle attributed to my client in his petition were used by another person, who like my client, also spoke out against the so-called angelic miracle alerts and miracle money.”
Effiong accused Amune of trying to divert Nigerians’ attention from whether Suleman “acted truthfully or deceitfully by claiming to command angels to deposit miracle alerts and miracle money in the accounts of worshippers”.
The legal practitioner noted that the answer to the question will determine the merit of the case.
He said given that Suleman is not a lawyer, his team should advise him on the legal implications of initiating an action founded on alleged defamation.
The Apostle, he continued, deserves to know that in the law of defamation, it is trite that a person without character cannot be defamed.
Effiong recalled Suleman claimed that his “spiritual son” entered a toilet in the airport in Germany and supernaturally appeared in an airport toilet in France without visa.
“If the Apostle is convinced that his character has been defamed by my client, in the light of his miracle money claims, he should proceed to court and not dissipate further energy on press statements.”
