‘Jesus didn’t lock up critics’ – Deji Adeyanju blasts Pastor Ibiyeomie

Lawyer and rights activist, Deji Adeyanju, has slammed the founder of Salvation Ministries, Pastor David Ibiyeomie, for threatening to arrest and detain anyone who writes negative reports about him.

DAILY POST reports that the cleric, in a trending video, accused unnamed bloggers of deliberately twisting his messages and alleged that some members of his church were colluding with them.

The pastor vowed to take firm action against anyone who “crosses the line,” adding that he would not be moved by pleas for mercy. He insisted that he would deal decisively with those who defy him.

“My type when I go after people, they will now send people to come and beg. So I’m warning you for the last time. Next time, there will be nothing like a warning if you dare it.

“A young man, I know you. Your father won’t beg me, I know your father too. Your mother won’t beg me. I will deal with you.

“Because when I pick them and people say, ‘Why do you go like this?’ You know, people are one kind – some people will be for me and some people will be against me. But for me, there are always many.

“I’m warning all of you who used to be against me. Hear now, because when I go that way, they will say ‘how can a man of God curse people, go and arrest people, will you do this one?’

“So, when I go the other way, don’t come back to say this man of God is now using the police to arrest people. I will arrest you, I will lock you up. I don’t care. No man of God will pray for you and succeed.

“Don’t carry my news. I don’t want your news. You won’t make me popular. Already, I am talking to the world. Good or bad, don’t carry my news. I don’t want you to carry it. Don’t carry news from this church.

“You know what they do? They will carry news and incite other bloggers. And some of you in this church are part of it. They plant you inside the church, and instead of you listening to the message and getting blessed, you now pick one thing and twist, say what I didn’t say.

“My gospel is before you slap, I slap you. I am not that kind of pastor. Young man, I will fight you,” Ibiyeomie said in the trending video.

Reacting on his official X handle on Tuesday, Adeyanju said he was disappointed in Ibiyeomie, accusing him of “de-marketing Christianity”.

“I’m so disappointed in Papa David Ibiyeomie warning and threatening Nigerians not to talk (about) or criticize him or his church else he will lock them up. Who are you sir that people can’t talk about your church or criticize you?

“People criticized Jesus and He did not lock them up. And boasting about using police to lock people up, a pastor ooo! These pastors are acting like unbelievers and de-marketing Christianity. They are the reason many people are no longer going to church,” the lawyer said.