Dr. Chris Okafor, senior pastor of the Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministries, has issued an ultimatum to a lady, Ms. Chi Okafor, who claims to be his daughter, demanding a DNA test to prove her allegation.
The pastor also asked the lady to retract all online and offline publications linking him to claims of paternity or abandonment.
He further demanded a public apology, insisting the allegations have damaged his reputation.
Speaking through his lawyer, Maxwell Opara, at a press conference in Owerri on Wednesday, Okafor denied being the biological father of the woman and her sibling.
He maintained that the children were products of infidelity by his estranged wife.
The cleric described the publications credited to the woman as cyber incitement, cyberbullying, cyber harassment, cyberstalking, criminal defamation and malicious impersonation.
He warned that legal action would follow if his demands were ignored.
According to Opara,
“Any assertion suggesting that our Client abandoned a spouse or children is therefore false, misleading, defamatory, and constitutes cyber bullying.”
He said,
“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.”
The lawyer added,
“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.”
Opara further stated,
“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.”
Outlining their demands, he said,
“Accordingly, we formally demand as follows: 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.”
He continued,
“Immediate cessation and desistance from further presenting or implying any familial relationship with our Client and immediate removal of all content that falsely associates our Client with claims of paternity or abandonment.”
The lawyer also challenged the woman to undergo a DNA test.
He said,
“We also 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.
”Issuing a final warning, Opara said,
“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,” he added.
The pastor also warned social media commentator Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, as well as Ms. Doris Ogala and others, to desist from allegedly spreading what he described as false claims against him on social media.
