Counsel to the founder of Grace Nation International Church, Dr. Chris Okafor, has issued a cease-and-desist notice to bloggers, content creators, influencers and social media users, warning against the publication or circulation of allegedly false and malicious claims concerning the cleric.
In a separate pre-action notice, Okafor’s lawyer, Ife Ajayi, Esq., demanded ₦500 million in general damages from a Facebook user identified as Princewill, who operates the page NewsMattazz with Princewill, over a publication allegedly linking the cleric to the death of businessman Solomon Iwerebor.
The lawyer also demanded the immediate removal of the publication, a public written retraction and an apology within 48 hours of receipt of the notice, failing which his client would consider legal proceedings.
Both notices, dated November 11, 2026, were issued by Sovereignty Legal Practitioners, located at 62A Opebi Road, Ikeja, Lagos, and signed by Ajayi in his capacity as Managing Partner of the law firm.
In the first notice, titled Cease and Desist Notice and addressed to the general public, the law firm expressed concern over what it described as the deliberate publication and circulation of false, misleading and inflammatory allegations against Okafor across various media platforms.
The lawyers stated that they were acting on the express instructions of the cleric, who had become concerned about reports and narratives allegedly intended to damage his personal and professional reputation.
According to the notice, certain individuals had repeatedly circulated allegations concerning Okafor without establishing their accuracy.
The lawyers described the publications as “utterly false, untrue, misleading, inciteful and solely aimed at damaging our client’s reputation, personality and person.”
They consequently called on bloggers, social media influencers, content creators and other members of the public to refrain from publishing or reposting unverified allegations concerning the cleric.
The law firm specifically demanded that individuals cease “publishing or reposting unverified, malicious allegations and false narrative targeted at damaging the person of our client by some sponsored and coordinated individuals.”
It warned that persons found to have engaged in unlawful publications could face legal consequences.
The notice stated that Okafor reserved the right to seek remedies through civil or criminal proceedings where the circumstances justified such action.
The lawyers further maintained that freedom of expression did not automatically protect individuals from legal responsibility for deliberately circulating false information capable of damaging another person’s reputation.
Pastor Chris Okafor’s Lawyers Demand ₦500m From Facebook User Over Allegations Linking Cleric To Businessman’s Death
According to the firm, the constitutional right to expression “does not permit nor exempt” anyone from civil and criminal liability where false and incriminating materials are deliberately circulated against another citizen.
The notice also invited anyone seeking clarification on allegations, stories or issues concerning Okafor to contact the law firm or the cleric’s management.
In the second notice, titled Cease and Desist Notice & Pre-Action Notice, the law firm specifically addressed Princewill of the Facebook page NewsMattazz with Princewill.
The lawyers accused the Facebook user of publishing allegedly false, malicious and defamatory statements about Okafor on November 10, 2026.
They alleged that the publication sought to associate the cleric with the circumstances surrounding the death of Solomon Iwerebor and create suspicion about his involvement.
According to the pre-action notice, the publication contained allegations that could damage Okafor’s reputation, including claims about the deceased businessman’s relationship with the church and suggestions concerning the circumstances of his death.
The lawyers identified four statements allegedly contained in the Facebook publication.
The first stated:
“Solomon has been spending money in Chris Okafor’s church for spiritual intervention.”
Another statement allegedly suggested that Okafor enjoyed influence in police matters.
“If you get problem with Chris Okafor and the matter reach Zone 2 Police station him don win,” the publication reportedly stated.
The third statement criticised the reputation of the church and questioned reports associated with it.
“Chris Okafor this your church we no dey hear say wan better thing link to the church, either bad thing happens to someone and almost all the story link to your church are not good.”
The fourth statement allegedly suggested that relatives of the deceased wanted Okafor and his wife questioned concerning the death.
“The children of the man say make them ask Chris Okafor and his wife wetin them know about their papa demise,” the notice quoted the publication as stating.
Responding to the allegations, Okafor’s lawyers denied that the cleric or his church had any connection with the death of Iwerebor.
Under a portion of the notice titled Explanation of Falsity, the law firm maintained that neither Okafor nor Grace Nation International Church had been linked to any police enquiry or investigation concerning the death of the businessman or any other member or relative.
The lawyers also denied that the church received money from anyone for spiritual intervention that resulted in a person’s death.
They maintained that the allegations concerning Iwerebor were unfounded and had created a misleading impression about the cleric’s relationship with the deceased.
Explaining the family connection, the law firm described Iwerebor as an extended relative of Okafor’s wife.
According to the lawyers, the businessman had suffered from a serious illness for several years, even before Okafor met and married his wife.
They maintained that the circumstances surrounding his death had nothing to do with Okafor or his wife’s parents.
The notice also disclosed that a disagreement arose among the deceased’s surviving siblings over his alleged final wish concerning his burial.
According to the lawyers, Iwerebor reportedly wished to be buried in Lagos rather than being taken to his ancestral village for burial.
The disagreement allegedly created divisions among members of the family, resulting in a petition by one faction against another.
The law firm maintained that the family dispute should not have been presented as evidence of wrongdoing involving Okafor.
It argued that the Facebook publication had wrongly drawn the cleric into a private family disagreement and associated his name with allegations concerning the businessman’s death.
The lawyers described the commentary as devoid of truth and facts, accusing the Facebook user of deliberately attempting to damage their client’s reputation.
They further characterised the statements as inflammatory and defamatory, alleging that they were capable of inciting members of the public against Okafor.
In support of the demand for damages, the law firm referred to the number of reactions generated by the publication shortly after it appeared online.
According to the notice, the Facebook post attracted more than 4,200 likes and 623 comments within 19 hours of publication.
The lawyers claimed that many of the comments were negative and contained statements casting aspersions on the cleric, his wife, their family and the church.
They maintained that the reactions demonstrated the extent to which the publication had circulated and allegedly affected Okafor’s reputation.
The firm argued that its client, whom it described as a private citizen, was entitled to protection against defamatory statements and false allegations.
Consequently, the lawyers demanded that Princewill immediately cease further publication or circulation of the allegations.
They also directed him to remove or delete the November 10 publication from his Facebook page and any other platform where it had been shared.
The pre-action notice further demanded a public written retraction and apology concerning the statements made against Okafor.
In addition, the law firm demanded payment of ₦500 million as general damages for the alleged reputational harm arising from the publication.
The lawyers gave the Facebook user 48 hours from receipt of the notice to comply with the demands.
They warned that failure to comply could result in the commencement of legal proceedings against him.
According to the notice, Okafor would not hesitate to pursue available legal remedies through civil or criminal proceedings where appropriate.
The lawyers concluded the notice with the warning:
“You have been duly warned.”
The two notices represent separate steps taken by the cleric’s legal representatives in response to publications they consider damaging to his reputation.
While the general notice seeks to discourage the circulation of allegedly false claims against Okafor, the pre-action notice addresses a specific Facebook publication and sets out demands for its removal, retraction, apology and monetary compensation.
The law firm’s position is that the allegations linking Okafor to the death of Iwerebor are false and that the dispute concerning the deceased’s burial has been misrepresented to implicate the cleric.
However, the allegations contained in the disputed Facebook publication, the lawyers’ responses and their claims concerning the circumstances of Iwerebor’s death remain assertions made by the respective parties.
The notices do not constitute judicial findings that the Facebook user committed defamation or any criminal offence.
Similarly, the ₦500 million demanded by Okafor’s lawyers is a proposed claim for damages and not an award made by a court.
The pre-action notice gives Princewill an opportunity to respond to the allegations and demands before the cleric’s legal representatives decide whether to commence proceedings.
As stated in the notices, Okafor’s lawyers maintain that their client is entitled to protect his reputation through lawful means and have warned against further circulation of the disputed allegations.
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