Former pastor of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Femi Jimoh, has reportedly died after years of health struggles linked to a controversial ordeal that saw him spend several years in detention over an alleged plot to rob the church.
Jimoh’s death was announced by UK-based Nigerian blogger Maureen Badejo, who said the former pastor passed away after battling serious health problems. His reported death has now reopened questions about his prolonged detention, alleged physical abuse and the legal battle that followed his eventual acquittal.
Jimoh became a prominent figure in the controversy after a 2024 interview with Yoruba Gidi TV, during which he gave an emotional account of what he described as years of suffering in detention.
He claimed he was arrested after encountering Michael Gbadamosi, then Chief Security Officer to MFM founder, Pastor Daniel Olukoya, at a native doctor’s residence.
According to Jimoh, the encounter triggered a chain of events that led to his arrest, detention and alleged torture.
He claimed he spent about 30 days in a police cell without access to a lawyer before being moved to other locations.
Jimoh further alleged that he was handcuffed and transported in the boot of a vehicle to Olukoya’s residence, where he pleaded not to be returned to the police because, according to him, he did not know what crime he had committed.
He said he was nevertheless taken back into custody and allegedly tortured.
One of his most serious allegations was that a police Divisional Police Officer shot him in the leg during his detention.
Jimoh also claimed that he and other detainees were held without adequate food before being transferred to the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), where he alleged they spent more than 25 days.
He was eventually charged with offences including conspiracy, attempted murder, armed robbery and felony before being remanded in prison.
Jimoh later alleged that his mother and sister approached Olukoya to plead for his release.
According to him, they were allegedly advised to ask him to plead guilty in court.
He also claimed that his father died after visiting him in prison and seeing his condition.
MFM Rejects Jimoh’s Allegations
MFM, however, strongly disputed Jimoh’s account and denied framing him or being responsible for his prolonged detention.
The church maintained that Jimoh and others had been arrested and prosecuted by the police over an alleged plan to carry out an armed robbery against the church.
In June 2024, MFM’s Chief Legal Adviser, Davidson Adejuwon, described claims that the former ministers were unlawfully imprisoned for nine years as false and misleading.
Adejuwon argued that the accused men had been granted bail but remained in custody because nobody secured their release.
He also defended the church’s decision to involve the police, saying alleged intelligence about a planned armed attack could not simply be handled internally by the church.
Gbadamosi, who Jimoh accused of being at the native doctor’s residence, also denied the allegation, insisting that he had never been to Ogbomoso, where Jimoh said the encounter occurred.
Court Acquitted Jimoh, Two Others
The controversy took another turn in July 2016 when a Lagos State High Court sitting in Igbosere acquitted Jimoh and two other defendants, Henry Aiyewero and Caleb Oloruntele.
The three men had faced charges of conspiracy to rob MFM.
Justice O.A. Williams ruled that the prosecution failed to establish its case beyond reasonable doubt and consequently discharged and acquitted the defendants.
A major piece of evidence presented by the prosecution was a video allegedly showing the men meeting at a hotel bar to plan the robbery.
But evidence from the manager of Jethro Hotel, Paul Effiong, cast doubt on that interpretation.
Effiong told the court that the gathering had been presented to him as a movie shoot involving about 11 people, including some of the prosecution witnesses and defendants.
He said he was shocked when he later saw some of the participants on television being described as suspected robbers.
The court ultimately found that the prosecution had failed to prove the alleged criminal agreement and acquitted the defendants.
2024 Interview Rekindles Controversy
For years after the judgment, the matter largely remained out of the spotlight before Jimoh’s appearance on Yoruba Gidi TV in 2024 brought it back into public attention.
During the interview, Jimoh revisited his years in detention and made fresh allegations against individuals connected with the case.
Another former MFM member, Oloruntele, also made allegations, prompting the church to organise a press conference to counter the claims.
MFM maintained that the men had been accused of planning an attack on the church and its members, while the former members insisted that they had been wrongly implicated.
The controversy later spilled into a separate police investigation involving the media platform that broadcast the allegations.
In December 2024, the Force Criminal Investigation Department invited Olakunle Fashugba, Chief Executive Officer of Yoruba Gidi Online TV, for questioning over allegations including conspiracy, cyberbullying, threats to life, forgery and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.
Death Puts Fresh Spotlight On Legal Battle
Jimoh’s reported death has now added another dimension to the long-running controversy.
Badejo said Gbadamosi had subsequently instituted legal proceedings involving Jimoh and Yoruba Gidi TV and that the matter was reportedly still ongoing when Jimoh died.
His death therefore raises fresh questions about the status of the legal proceedings and the unresolved allegations surrounding his years in detention.
It also puts renewed focus on the broader issues of prolonged incarceration, access to justice and accountability.
Badejo questioned whether the alleged gunshot injury and years spent behind bars contributed to the health problems Jimoh reportedly battled before his death.
With Jimoh now dead, many of the claims he made during his lifetime remain contested, with MFM and other parties having firmly rejected his version of events.
The former pastor’s reported death has nevertheless revived a case that has remained one of the more controversial legal disputes involving a prominent Nigerian church.
May his soul rest in peace.
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