Edi Umoh
The General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Dr. Daniel Olukoya, has threatened legal action against Yewande Roberts, over allegations of sexual harassment, psychological abuse, and the alleged unlawful withholding of her late husband’s intellectual property.
Olukoya, through his lawyer, Jude Ehiedu, is demanding N550 million in damages from Roberts following a series of social media publications in which she allegedly accused the prominent clergyman and the church of misconduct.
Yewande Roberts who is the widow of the late MFM youth pastor and gospel music minister, Pastor Tope Roberts, is also daughter of former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Technical Director, Olatunde Disu.
Last year, Roberts publicly appealed to Olukoya and the leadership of MFM to release her late husband’s recorded songs and creative materials, which she claimed had remained in the custody of the church since his death.
The dispute has now escalated into a legal battle after the church accused her of making defamatory claims against Olukoya and the ministry on social media platforms.
Also read
- Court Orders Blogger to Pay Olukoyas £100,000 After Losing Defamation Appeal
- MFM Suit: US Court Orders Ashekun to Pay $300,000 fine for defamation
- Tithing is not compulsory – Says Dr. Daniel Olukoya
In a memorandum dated June 1, 2026, titled “Memorandum of Claim in Compliance with the Pre-Action Protocol of the High Court of Lagos State Civil Procedure Rules, 2019,” Olukoya’s counsel accused Roberts of publishing “false, malicious, and defamatory allegations” against the cleric and the church following the refusal of her demand for the release of the musical materials.
The letter, which was addressed to Yewande Roberts through WhatsApp, stated that the church had supported her financially after the death of her husband.
The lawyer wrote, “We act for a Pentecostal Christian ministry duly established in Nigeria and its General Overseer, Dr. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya (hereinafter referred to as ‘our Clients’).
“We are informed by our clients that you are a former member of the Church and the widow of a deceased Youth Pastor who served in the ministry during his lifetime. Following his demise, the Church provided financial and welfare support to you and your child.”
According to the letter, Roberts later demanded the release of certain musical works and recordings allegedly produced under the church.
The lawyer stated, “Subsequently, you demanded the release of certain musical works and recordings produced under the auspices of the Church. Following the refusal of that demand, you commenced a series of publications on various social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, blogs, and other online media, wherein you made several false, malicious, and defamatory allegations against our clients.”
Olukoya’s legal team specifically referenced allegations allegedly made by Roberts accusing the MFM founder of sexual harassment and of tolerating sexual misconduct within the church.
“In the said publications, you alleged, among other things, that the General Overseer sexually harassed you, ignored complaints of sexual misconduct by church officials, and permitted an environment in which inappropriate conduct was tolerated,” the letter stated.
The lawyer further argued that the allegations portrayed Olukoya as morally corrupt and unfit to lead a religious organisation.
“The natural and ordinary meaning of the said publications is that the General Overseer is morally corrupt, engages in sexual misconduct, abuses his office, lacks integrity, and is unfit to lead a religious organization, while the Church harbours and protects sexual predators.
“The publications are entirely false, malicious, and devoid of factual basis. They were widely disseminated to members of the public and have caused substantial injury to the reputation, goodwill, and standing of our clients.”
The church also claimed that the alleged publications caused public embarrassment and emotional distress to Olukoya and the ministry.
“Consequently, our clients have suffered public ridicule, embarrassment, emotional distress, and damage to their ministerial and institutional reputation,” the memorandum added.
Olukoya’s lawyer demanded that Roberts comply with several conditions within seven days of receiving the memorandum.
The demands include the retraction of all alleged defamatory statements, publication of unreserved apologies in at least two national newspapers and on all digital platforms where the allegations were made, as well as the permanent deletion of all related content.
“Accordingly, you are hereby required, within seven (7) days of receipt of this Memorandum to: “Retract all defamatory statements made against our Clients; Publish an unreserved apology in at least two (2) widely circulated national newspapers and on all digital platforms through which the publications were disseminated; and Remove and permanently delete all defamatory content concerning our Clients from every platform under your control.”
The letter warned that failure to comply would result in legal proceedings against Roberts without further notice.
The church said it would seek multiple reliefs before the court, including N500million in general damages and an additional N50million in aggravated and exemplary damages.
“TAKE NOTICE that should you fail, refuse, or neglect to comply with the above demands within the stipulated period, our Clients shall commence legal proceedings against you without further notice and shall seek, amongst others, the following reliefs:
“A declaration that the publications are false, malicious, and defamatory; A perpetual injunction restraining further defamatory publications concerning our Clients.
“An order compelling retraction and publication of an unreserved apology; General damages in the sum of N500,000,000.00 (Five Hundred Million Naira); Aggravated and exemplary damages in the sum of N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira)
“An order directing the deletion of all defamatory content; The cost of the action; and Post-judgment interest as may be awarded by the Court.”
Despite the threat of litigation, the church indicated willingness to resolve the dispute outside court through negotiation or alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
“Notwithstanding the foregoing, our Clients remain willing to explore an amicable resolution of this dispute through negotiation or any other recognized alternative dispute resolution mechanism,” the letter added.
The memorandum stated that it was issued pursuant to the High Court of Lagos State Practice Direction No. 2 of 2019 and directed Roberts to submit her response and any settlement proposal within seven days.
On October 6, 2025, SaharaReporters reported that Roberts accused Olukoya of sexual harassment, psychological abuse, and the unlawful withholding of her late husband’s intellectual property for over eight years.
In a detailed account shared with SaharaReporters, Roberts, who is the widow of the late MFM youth pastor and gospel music minister, Pastor Tope Roberts, had appealed to Olukoya to release her husband’s recorded songs and creative materials, which she claimed have been in the church’s custody since his death.
“I was once a Muslim but joined the church at the back of my institution because I felt I needed prayers and counselling due to the spiritual encounters I had from childhood,” she said.
“I decided to meet the General Overseer of MFM for prayers and counselling.”
According to Roberts, after meeting Olukoya, she was asked to work for him as a transcriber.
“He asked me if I was a virgin, and in my heart, I wondered what he wanted to do with that information,” she alleged.
Roberts alleged that the MFM General Overseer subjected her to various forms of physical and emotional abuse under the guise of deliverance.
“He told me I should be coming to his office for prayers. He would slap my womb, insert his hands into my ears, touch my eyes, scrub my forehead, and strangulate my neck many times,” she said.
“I was worried but didn’t know who to tell because I knew people would not believe me.”
She further alleged that Olukoya once hugged her “in a way that made me uncomfortable,” claiming that he “drew my bra from behind as if he wanted to remove it.”
