Why Doris Ogala was remanded — Chris Okafor’s lawyer explains

Ife Ajayi, lawyer to Chris Okafor, founder of the Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministry, has explained why a court sent the actress Doris Ogala to the Ikoyi Custodial Centre in Lagos.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Federal High Court in Lagos remanded Ms Ogala in a case involving her and Mr Okafor. The dispute between them began in December 2025, when the actress accused the cleric of wrecking her life after he failed to marry her.

Mr Ajayi, of Sovereignty LP, told this newspaper on Thursday that the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation arraigned Ms Ogala on three counts before Justice Akintayo Aluko. Ms Ogala is the African Action Congress (AAC) candidate for governor of Abia State in the forthcoming election.

Mr Ajayi said: “Since last year, different formations have called this lady (Doris Ogala) to buttress her allegations. She has failed to buttress those allegations. Rather, she will be making demands, and at some point my client (Chris Okafor) says I have nothing to do with you anymore, and you cannot be making demands, and there is no way on God’s green earth he would comply with any of your demands.” Then she goes back to the media and continues to amplify all manners of lies.

“It got to a level that the police were done with their reports, they sent it to the appropriate authority, the appropriate authorities went through it and felt indeed there is grounds for charges to be brought against this individual. These charges were then filed and sent to the Federal Court. They sent an invitation to Doris about twice. She failed to respond and came for a hearing. She would make allegations that she’s sick.”

The lawyer said investigators looked into her claims and found that many of the hospitals and facilities she told the court were treating her either turned her away or had no patient registered under that name.

“Two days later you would see Doris Ogala on her social media posts you know in the campaign rally dragging and shouting all over the place. She never knew that the authorities and the prosecuting agencies were taking notes of all of this.

“So when people told her she had to appear before the court this time around she thereafter came and charges were read to her. I think about three charges.”

Furthermore, Mr Ajayi said the actress would remain in custody until Friday, when the court would hear and determine her bail application over allegations of cyberbullying, cyberstalking and attempted extortion involving Mr Okafor.

He added that Ms Ogala had challenged the court, insisting that it must hear her side and arguing that it had no right to intervene in a dispute between her and the man she described as her boyfriend.

“There were submissions that they would rather take her on bail. Her lawyer personally wanted to take her but the court declined on the ground that there was nothing sufficient before the court to grant that oral application. Then the court adjourned till Friday, 30 of October for hearing of all pending applications and for the prosecuting authority to respond.

“You will be surprised that as soon as the court thereafter told them that procedurally she needs to be held in remand pending Friday where you will grant an accelerated hearing of terms and bail application. She started ranting. Out of irritation, all the lawyers and audience in the court were so displeased with her”, said Mr Ajayi.

According to Mr Ajayi, the court acted appropriately by adjourning the case. He said Ms Ogala’s lawyer appeared disappointed in her after witnessing her behaviour as he prepared to secure her bail.

Mr Ajayi also told this newspaper that Johnson Suleman, the senior pastor and general overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International, and Jerry Eze, the founder and lead pastor of Streams of Joy International and convener of New Season Prophetic Prayers and Declarations (NSPPD), had no involvement in Ms Ogala’s remand, contrary to the actress’s allegations. He said the same applied to the other individuals she accused.

Mr Ajayi stated that Ms Ogala considered herself above the law or believed she could get away with her actions with some form of assistance. He stressed that Nigerians could not build a society where people acted without restraint and escaped accountability.

He noted, “She insisted she wasn’t going to leave until she saw that she had no choice but to comply with the authorities that were going to lawfully take her and restrain her and take her into lawful custody. Then she left. Even while leaving you can see she was making allegations that it is Jerry Eze, it is Alex Otti, it is this, it is that.Knowing fully well that all these individuals you are just maligning, disreputing have nothing to do with your situation.

“She continued to conduct herself in a manner whereby it became imperative for the courts or for the authorities to rein her in. Now this is where it gets interesting. She would not tell you that part that there is what they call decorum, the way you conduct yourself in a court of law. When you conduct yourself in a manner whereby it brings disrepute or you conduct yourself in a manner that is disrespectful of the court.”

Furthermore, Mr Ajayi accused Ms Ogala of disregarding court orders, describing such conduct as a criminal act.

He said Ms Ogala behaved as though she were above the law and beyond accountability.

“The good thing about law is that the hand of the law is very patient and in due time would hold you accountable. She has not conducted herself in such a way that there is contempt in the face of the court and I leave that to my lord to decide and my lord will decide if he indeed would insist or would penalise her for that conduct and this is what I keep saying. Even if you look at the conduct and the way she conducted herself in that court yesterday, that would give you an insight into the nature of this kind of individual.

“Everybody in that court felt my Lord, Justice Aluko was very honourable and very considerate of the situation but then she felt she must always have her way and this I would tell you is the way she had conducted herself in all police invitations during interrogation and all.”

Mr Ajayi also said the actress had denied making the allegations against his client, despite overwhelming evidence that she made the statements.

“Those utterances, those things she was saying, the axta at the station, that is true. She denied them but yet you held the ring light, held camera, held phone and started disparaging and you know the smear campaign over this individual, against this person was so severe that at some point I began to feel like isn’t there anybody that can call her or put her into order. Doris Ogala has been someone that has conducted herself in a very unlawful and in a very disappointing manner.

“This thing about social media, if not curtailed or regulated, will set the country ablaze or will set the world ablaze. She lives in a world of her own whereby she believes that whatever she says or does is law. What is her allegation basically? Her allegation is that she was dating the pastor, the pastor promised to marry and thereafter the man failed to marry her and consequently upon that failure, the man must either die, must be jailed or must be destroyed or must be this or must be that.”

Meanwhile, Ms Ogala’s lawyer, Nzeakor Atulomah, managing partner at Synergy Law Partners, told this newspaper in an interview on Thursday that his client had nothing to prove before the court.

Reacting to Mr Ajayi’s remark about Ms Ogala’s denial of the allegations against Mr Okafor, Mr Atulomah said the court had not asked anyone to provide proof during Wednesday’s hearing. He explained that the proceedings centred on the arraignment.

He added that the prosecution would bear the responsibility of proving the charges against his client when it opens its case.

Ms Ogala’s lawyer said: “Number one, this is a criminal case, and it is he who alleges who must prove. My client has nothing to prove. It is the prosecution, which brought her to court, that has everything to prove. So, it is not my client who will prove anything. It is the state. It is the Federal Republic of Nigeria, represented by the public prosecutors, that will prove all the allegations contained in the charge against my client.

“The matter was scheduled for arraignment yesterday. Arraignment simply means that the charges will be read to the defendant, who will plead guilty or not guilty. Not guilty, and that is it. Then we begin to talk about bail applications and all of that, resulting in the remand you spoke about. My client has absolutely nothing to prove. So, anybody who tells you otherwise is either being very cheaply silly or is completely illiterate.”

Mr Atulomah confirmed that the court had adjourned the case until Friday to hear the bail application.

He said he was unaware of any allegations by his client that Mr Otti, Mr Eze, Mr Suleman and others were responsible for her remand.

“I am not aware of that. I do not know whether she made those allegations or whether they are true or not true.”

He urged the public to refrain from spreading rumours about the ongoing case.

He also called on media organisations to seek clarification, avoid sensational reporting and ensure their reports remained factual.