Is Apostle Johnson Suleman fake? My personal discoveries at his church

Michael Adesina

On August 23, 2025, I embarked on a journey to KM 132 Benin-Okene/Abuja Expressway, Auchi, Edo State. I had only one mission- to visit Omega Fire Ministries (OFM), a church founded in 2004 by Apostle Johnson Suleiman.

Hitherto, my only knowledge of Apostle Suleiman was through social media. I had never met him, nor had I ever had any form of direct contact with him. Yet, as a journalist, curiosity arose in me to know more about this man whose ministry had, for years, been wrapped in a mix of controversies and commendations.

I can’t recall the first time I stumbled upon his name online, but as I journeyed to Auchi, I found myself revisiting numerous articles, reports, and heated discussions about him. Many of them revolve around scandals— chief among them, his infamous clash with Nollywood actress Halima Abubakar.

Back in 2022, Halima openly alleged that she had been in a romantic relationship with the cleric for four years. She further claimed she had conceived for him three times but mysteriously lost all the three pregnancies. At some point, she published a nude picture, insisting it belonged to the Auchi-based preacher.

Her health, too, began to deteriorate during this period, and she attributed her afflictions to alleged spiritual manipulations by Apostle Suleiman.

However, Apostle Suleiman sued her for defamation, won the case, and was awarded ten million naira in damages. The court also barred Halima from making further defamatory remarks against the pastor.

Then, in 2024, the unexpected happened. Halima Abubakar publicly confessed that she had lied against the preacher.

In her words: “I made false allegations against you. I humbly ask for your forgiveness, as I was not thinking clearly at the time.”

At a point, I was unsure of what to believe. My journalistic instinct told me it could all have been a carefully orchestrated script to boost the preacher’s popularity. I muttered to myself, “This is Nigeria—something must have exchanged hands behind closed doors, either years ago or recently.”

You may judge me for my skepticism, but I have seen enough in this profession to know that some so-called celebrities are capable of staging their own kidnaps or even releasing their own nude pictures—all in a desperate bid for relevance.

And so, like many Nigerians, I wondered: is Apostle Suleiman authentic, or is he a fraud cleverly riding the tides of controversy?

Adding fuel to this suspicion was the hotly debated issue of “miracle money,” where another preacher publicly dismissed Suleiman’s teachings and labelled him a false preacher.

But one question nagged at me: Even if all these allegations were fabricated, why was he always at the center of controversy? That thought alone pushed me to dig deeper.

However, as I arrived in Benin, little did I know that the journey had just begun. I was shocked to discover that the journey from Benin to Auchi took almost four hours. The road was deplorable, riddled with potholes. The ratio of trucks to cars was like 7:1. Trucks were everywhere on the bad road. My body ached, my head throbbed, yet one thought persisted: Why do thousands still make this trip to this church every week despite the hardships? Surely, there must be something extraordinary drawing them.

Fortunately, I arrived safely at the church in the evening. I expected the security officers at the entrance to be tired after a long day, so I decided to walk in unnoticed. But my plan failed. I was sighted and politely told to return to the gate for a check-up. To my surprise, the security officials were courteous as they professionally checked my bag before allowing me entry. Their friendliness left a positive first impression.

I personally decided to lodge at the hotel directly opposite the church so I could see every movement in and around the church till daybreak.

Before I proceed, I must commend the staff of the hotel within the OFM premises. I have been to many religious institutions, and I must be honest, the workers are usually brusque, but that was not the case this time. I was welcomed as an expected special guest. I met a guy and an older woman at the reception. I quickly asked for one of their best rooms, as I observed that it would be upstairs, where I could monitor everything.

A few minutes after I made payment, I was led to my room, which was exactly what I wanted. From the upper room, I could see everything going on in the compound, and because I had a lot of work on my table, I decided to sit up as I watched and also moved around at different times.

At about 4 am on Sunday, I noticed movements towards the church auditorium. Curiosity got the better of me, and I hurried down, clad in shorts and a white top. To my astonishment, I found about ten people—eight men and two women—gathered near the entrance. Initially, I watched from a distance, but I later went close and reached out to one of the men who decided to walk away from the entrance. As I got close, we exchanged pleasantries, and I asked him what he and others were doing close to the entrance of the church. He told me they were waiting for the security officers to open the door of the auditorium. I was more curious, I said, “You mean, you are here at 4 a.m. just to attend a Sunday service?” He responded with a smile and said, “Yes.”

The man further asked if this was my first time at the church, and I responded in the affirmative. He advised me to go and dress up quickly, warning that any delay might confine me to the back rows.

As we were conversing, more people were approaching the church. They were hanging around, and I quickly realised the man was right. I had to rush back to my hotel room to prepare. I returned to the church entrance about 5:30 a.m., and the auditorium was already filled with hundreds of people. I immediately joined a row, only to find out later that the space belonged to foreigners who came to worship. I quickly exited and joined another row where I could see everything happening in the church.

By 6:00 a.m., the service had officially begun, and people continued trooping in until the entire hall was fully packed.

One of the things that got my attention quickly was the music ministry of the church. It left me speechless. Being musically inclined, I know the difference between mediocrity and mastery. The OFM choir—comprising over 200 members—delivered with absolute precision. Every note, every chord, every drumbeat was perfect. I found myself whispering, “Wonders shall never end. Quality music of this standard, in Auchi?” They are really great. Trust me. But that was not why I went there. I was patiently waiting for the Apostle to show up.

Beyond the music, the organizational structure impressed me deeply. The service was seamless. Every minister who mounted the pulpit exuded confidence and conviction. Women were not sidelined during the bible study session; they preached with fire, led prayers, and sang with authority. I said to myself, this must be one of the reasons people rush to this place. It is a community-driven church. No one was left out. Both men and women had equal opportunities to shine.

I must also confess that the service was an antidepressant. It would take a lot of problems to be depressed in such a gathering with the sort of word and music delivery. The auditorium was filled with joy, and before I knew it, it was about 9:30 a.m., and the Apostle stepped up.

Shortly after, he began to deliver his message titled “Knowing God for yourself” after he read from the book of Matthew 16, from verses 13 to 18.

Through the passage read, he told the church that Jesus revealed himself despite asking questions about who people thought he was.

He emphasized that while books and letters are useful, only God can reveal Himself to man: “It takes God to reveal God to you,” he declared.

He noted that certain revelations of God can only be revealed by the spirits of God.

He urged his members to pursue knowledge of God because it brings peace, settlement, and communicates blessing.

He noted that every battle in life is to question one’s knowledge of God.

He added that the knowledge of God makes a man walk in the consciousness of his new identity.

During the sermon, he also addressed those who attack others in the name of defending the church.

According to the cleric, they can only bring clarity to matters, but they cannot defend the church, saying, “only God can defend his church.”

Shortly after the sermon, he prayed and began the prophet session —the moment I had been waiting for.

In his usual manner, Apostle Suleiman said, “Somebody has a shop, and you come out of your shop, you meet sacrifices. Your name is Susan.”

Immediately, a woman rushed out, and the cleric prayed for her and many others who came out with her to partake in the special prayer.

After Susan, he sang a worship song and said, “A native doctor threatened you. From the day you were threatened by the native doctor, everything he said would happen started happening.”

Immediately, an old-looking man stepped forward with his wife. He prayed for them by asking God for mercy.

He released another prophecy, saying, “I am seeing somebody called Sylvester. I am seeing cobwebs in the realm of the spirit.”

A man in blue attire came out. While speaking with Sylvester, he sighted another lady and brought her out. Asking her, “Can I pray for you?”. The cleric said he saw a serpent in the lady that has to die. He prayed for her and also prayed for Sylvester afterwards.

He called out another grandma and prayed for her that she would eat the fruit of her labour.

Afterwards, he prayed for the wife of Sylvester. While praying for her, he said, “Are you Glory?” and the woman responded in the affirmative. He paused. He then continued and told her, “You are going to have a daughter, give your daughter that name, Glory.”

Immediately, he spoke out: “Who is Comfort? Comfort has something to do with August.” A young lady, light in completion, ran out. He told the lady her age, which is 32. He prayed for the lady against diseases. He then told her, “You are not married.” The lady responded in the affirmative. He asked her when she would like to get married, and she responded, “This year.” He then asked her, “Why are you doing trial and error?”

He told her there were four people around her and asked her to get a pen and paper and write their names. He told her that she shouldn’t allow anybody to see the names. After that, Apostle Suleiman called out all four names, gave prophesies about them. He said: “There is one called Elvis, this one has a child and another child, like two children. There is another one, that one lied to you. He told you he has one child, but it is three.” He said the name is Nchono. The cleric continued: “There is Gideon, he has no child and has never been married. The last is Gabriel. That’s the person.”

The lady immediately broke down. The cleric asked them to pick her up and then told her, “Gabriel has no job, that’s why you are afraid.”

Apostle Suleiman added, “Because of you, he is going to be blessed.”

After addressing Comfort, Apostle Suleiman spotted a young lady, and he immediately told her, “You wanted to tell me your father is sick, but he died five minutes ago.”

The lady burst into tears, but he told her it was not over and immediately prayed for the spirit of the father to be returned to this world.

Afterwards, he quickly prayed for about 7 persons, painfully, one of them was a grown-up man in tears who came out with a video on his phone to reveal that his two sons were kidnapped in Lokoja and have not been released despite paying ransom.

The cleric prayed for their release, and afterwards, he ended the session with a general prayer session.

However, I noticed that everyone he prayed for during the session was asked to go to the altar for prayers. This helped me to target two people I planned to approach to investigate the prophecy and their stories.

Immediately after the service ended, I sat patiently and watched as one of my targets left the altar. I quickly rushed after him and walked him out of the auditorium as we exchanged pleasantries. He looked too serious, but I loosened him up with good vibes and good words. After I noticed he was comfortable with me, I broke the news to him.

I said, “Sir, I have a proposal for you.” His countenance changed, and he looked highly interested. Then I said, “I have N5m offer for you right now on this spot if you can answer what I want.”

He quickly responded, “My brother, what is it you want? I am available. I can do anything.” Then I told him all I needed was proof of how much he was paid or promised by Johson Suleiman to act during the prophecy session. He looked confused, trying to process what I just said, but he quickly denied that any of that had happened. He vowed that he had never met the cleric or anyone close to him before that service. After he gave the response, I quickly increased the offer to N10 million. I brought out my cheque book and told him he would get it if he could tell me the truth. He was almost in tears as he responded. He said, “My brother, I need this money, but I cannot lie against that man of God.” Because I was timing myself to meet with the other target, I quickly offered him my little help, and disappeared from the scene before he alerted anyone about what we discussed.

Afterwards, I quickly returned to my hotel room, changed my clothes, and rushed back to the church to see if my second target was still at the altar. Luckily, she was still there, lying on the altar. I was very happy. As a lady being approached by a very handsome man (don’t laugh, please), I believed my job would be easier. Immediately after she finished praying, I approached her. A lot of people had already left the church auditorium. Although different meetings were still ongoing in the church. She was a bit relaxed, unlike the man. She was calm as she responded to my greetings. I quickly asked her to sit with me briefly. I congratulate her on the happenings during the prophetic session and also made her laugh. After I used some of my magic words (laughs), I offered her lunch at a restaurant about 6 minutes away from the church. She was first skeptical. I am sure this was because of her security, but I assured her she would take her bike separately, and the lunch wouldn’t take long. She obliged, and we proceeded to the eatery. Cutting a long story short, I broke my intention to her at the eatery. I went straight to the point this time. A straight N10 million cheque on the table. Her eyes popped as I asked the question. I said, “Tell me what you were offered, and we would double it.”

However, it was the same outcome. She vowed that there was no contact with anyone before she came for the service. She told me where she came from and where she lives, which I have decided to keep out of this report for safety reasons. I applied pressure, but it all amounted to the same response. “I can’t lie. I can’t tell a lie against a man of God.”

Afterwards, I let her finish her meal. Made her comfortable and offered help in my little way so she could return to her house as quickly as possible.

However, I didn’t stop there; I moved into areas close to the church, did more research, but it all ended in similar outcomes.

As a journalist, at one point, I was disappointed because I knew what people wanted to read was bad news. But later, I told myself, my job is first to tell my own truth. Despite that people love propaganda and bad reports, we must also teach the public how to consume positive reports. This made me jettison the decision not to write a report, and I titled it “My Personal Discoveries,” which means others can also go there to find what they want.

I almost dropped the report for the second time because, as I moved towards completing it, I felt a strange wind in my right ear.  I don’t believe in such things, so I ignored it, but before I knew what was happening, from a bouncing guy, I started shivering and feeling terribly sick. I laughed within myself as I received medical attention, “I hope the spiritual world battling with this Apostle has not found my address? lol. But stubborn me, I proceeded anyway.

Meanwhile, as I finished my report, I asked myself again, but why always him, and immediately I remembered that Jesus was also labelled as fake. And Jesus was not even called fake by pagans, but by religious people.

Mark 3:22:  New Living Translation (NLT) says: “The teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, ‘He’s (Jesus is) possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”

And the bible recorded that Jesus responded by speaking to his critics in parables, saying: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.”

This means that no man can be working for Satan and yet be destroying the works of Satan daily.

This is not to certify anyone as fake or real. I have no power to do that. But if I cannot find anything fake about the works done by this man, then I must commend him for the good job I witnessed at his church. That church is definitely raising workers with impeccable character, young men and women who can preach the gospel with fire in their bones.

Apostle Suleiman is also growing. I decided to run a check on his ministry, and I discovered he started at a young age. People can say whatever they like, but he could make mistakes. He is human. Many believe he is arrogant, and sometimes he jacks his shoulders when talking, but I found a man highly loved by his people. He looks a bit tough on the outside, but inside of him is a simple man who listens carefully to the yearnings of the Holy Spirit, even when the instructions sometimes may affect his ego.

I also discovered that he has matured greatly over time. Watching his YouTube as a young man, he was harsh, sometimes crude, but now I see a man who would even ask for your permission before he prophesies to you. He now uses words like “Can I talk to you?” and if you disapprove, he leaves you. Even while talking to you, he will tell you, “I hope I am not offending you. Should I continue?”

Like I said, I do not believe he is perfect, but I believe he is growing and working hard towards perfection.

These are my personal discoveries. Thank you for reading.

If you have any information regarding this article or any other matters, please feel free to reach out to me via [email protected].