The general overseer of Salvation Ministries, Pastor David Ibiyeomie has warned netizens to stop insulting him on social media. The Rivers state based pastor said anyone who cast aspersion on him from now on will be arrested and charged to court to pay at least “N10 billion” fine.
He also threatened to arrest the parents of anyone who insults him, so as to serve as deterrence to others who may want to tow the same line of action.
Ibiyeomi is regarded by many as a controversial man of God due to some of his comments on salient public issues. Just few months ago, he said only poor people keep their telephone on during church service.
He said, “Anyone whose phone rings in church is a poor man; his thinking is poor. Rich people don’t switch on their phones in church because they don’t want anybody to disturb them.
” But poor people switch it on because they want alert; It is a sign of poverty. You will never see a wealthy man switch on his phone in church, he will say,” I want to hear something that will help improve my life. But the poor will say, “make I see weda somebody go send me money”. It is a poverty mentality. You are in a church where the poor come and become wealthy.
“Off your phone but if your phone rings you have signed up for poverty. Your mentality is poor, it’s not money in your pocket yet. Somebody say I hear.”
Also, he once drew the ire of not a few Nigerians after he threatened to kill Dr Freeze, a radio presenter for allegedly insulting Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church aka Winners Chapel. The 59-year-old pastor studied under Bishop Oyedepo’s tutelage before establishing his ministry in 1997.
Warning Freeze then he said, ‘If he insults me, I won’t mind; but insult Oyedepo, that bastard who is his father? Does Daddy Freeze have a father? That bastard who was born by a Somalian. The day I hear him insult Oyedepo again I’ll deal with him’’.
‘‘If he has a father let him show us his father’s picture. Someone they gave birth to in a ship. Does he look like a Nigerian? I curse the day he was born.”
‘‘He is insulting my own father and people are laughing. Anybody may not talk but I will talk. I will never be alive and see somebody insult my father. It is not done. You are not born. I will kill you; I will tear you into pieces. Very soon I will arrest him,’’ Ibiyeomi said in September 2020.
Speaking last Sunday at his church in Port Harcourt, the controversial man of God said he would no longer accept insults from anyone, saying that many netizens are jobless people who take advantage of the social media to verbally attacks others.
He said any one who intrude on his privacy will no longer go scot-free, promising to “arrest you arrest your father, your mother. I lock you up.”
According to him, “All those people who are on their laptop now, who have no work. They won’t listen to what I am preaching. They are waiting for me to say something then they say.
“You won’t hear what I am preaching. Your work is to sit down on the laptop. I’m preaching now, some people on social media.. all they do.. That’s why they are not progressing because all they do is to listen for what I will say so they can misquote me. If you misquote me…, just misquote me; I will fight you spiritually, physically, legally
“I have made up my mind. Nobody on social media insuIt me. I will arrest you arrest your father, your mother. I lock you up. You know the reason? It is because you don’t lock people up, that is why they are joking. It is against ethics to misquote somebody.
“I will take legal action against you. By the time I tell you 10 billion Naira damage, because my capacity is 50 billion. All your life’s savings, you will pay. When somebody misquotes you, don’t take it for granted. Do you know it is against the law for somebody to snap you in public without your permission? Ask lawyers they will tell you.
“You are intruding into my privacy; I sue you. By the time I claim N10 to 20 billion, your father and your mother will come and beg. I will follow you with police, army, prayer, everything. Next time you will learn how to talk.
“If anybody insults you don’t say “church; arrest the person”. Lock the person up, go to court, win the case, let the judges sentence him to imprisonment with green uniform. The person will leave you alone,” Ibiyeomi said.
