A member of the Pastor in Council, Celestial Church of Christ Worldwide, Superior Evangelist David Sikpa, M.P.I.C, has sent a petition to the Christian Association of Nigeria (C.A.N), following the verbal attack on White Garment Churches in general and the Celestial Church of Christ in particular by the presiding pastor of Salvation Ministries, David Ibiyeomie.
David Ibiyeomie while on the pulpit and facing his congregation had said that he ‘hates’ White Garment Churches because ‘Cele Prophets’ would put people’s names inside a bottle of ‘kai kai’ (illicit gin) and chant ‘Incantations’ and ‘Demonic Psalms’ to altar the destinies of people.
Speaking through his lawyer, Nnabugo Njoku Esq, Superior Evangelist David Sikpa who worships at the Celestial Church of Christ, Rebisi Parish 3, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, made the following assertions:
- That the Celestial Church of Christ belongs to the Christian Association of Nigeria (C.A.N.) enjoying its lawful rights and privileges, complying with its duties and obligations to the association, having its parishes and members cutting across the entire country and even outside the shores of Nigeria.
- That our client and other members of his church were physically and emotionally devastated after hearing the offensive publication and that the publication, no doubt, has slaughtered the hard earned good reputation of our client and his church.
- That there is no doubt that the publication was borne out of malice and there is no doubt that he has succeeded in tarnishing the hard earned reputation of our client and other members of his church.
- That our client’s church which is a respected body of Christ both locally and internationally and her members, particularly the new converts are now seeing her as a body that cannot be trusted. There is no doubt that the intendment of this publication is to paint our client and other members black so that right thinking members of the public will be regarding our client and his church with odium and ridicule.
- That our client and other members have suffered shock, emotional distress as well as depression since the publication of the obnoxious and destructive defamatory publication and that because of this damaging and libelous publication by him, our client has suffered losses as an individual and his church in her corporate image.
- That we hereby passionately urge you to call Pastor David Ibiyeomie to order and we give him fourteen (14) days upon his receipt of this letter to tender an unreserved public apology to our client and his church.
- Let him further TAKE NOTICE AND NOTICE is hereby given that if he fails, refuses and or neglects to comply with our demand within the stipulated time frame, we shall be constrained to invoke, utilize and apply on him the full weight of the law with all the legal instruments at our disposal to bring him to justice and to get remedy for our client.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
