And killed others, abi? That is the question Nigerians have been asking following Apostle Johnson Suleman’s infelicitous remark after surviving an attack on his convoy on Friday, October 21 in Edo state. The surprise ambush left seven people dead – three police security detail, two drivers and two domestic staff. “God saved me,” the man of God said of his survival, as if it was a miracle straight from heaven, prompting THEWILL to ask whether God did not much care for those who died. Michael Jimoh reports…
“A slight thing like a phrase or a jest often makes a greater revelation of character,” Plutarch (pronounced Plutack) once mused, “than battles when thousands fall, or the greatest armaments, or sieges of cities.” If any man in Nigeria today has proven right a maxim attributed centuries ago to the prince of ancient biographers, it must be the trending evangelist Apostle Johnson Suleman head of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide headquartered in his hometown Auchi Edo state. On Friday October 21, gunmen attacked Suleman’s convoy in a surprise ambush along Warrake/ Auchi Road not far from his residence and church.
It was reported the clergyman just returned from a journey outside the country and was en route his church when the attackers struck. Suleman was safely ensconced in a bullet-proof SUV, thus preventing the assailants from nicking him except the bullet marks on his marque. His wife and children who were in another bullet-proof vehicle were untouched as well.
But seven others in his convoy – three police security detail, two drivers and two domestic staff were not so lucky. They all died during the attack. In a post-attack speech, the charismatic preacher let on that “my life is in the hands of God, nobody can kill me except God.”
Whatever the attackers planned, one can deduce from his statement, was bound to fail since he is a servant of God. In reality, as most Nigerians now know, it was the armor-plated vehicle he was in that saved him and his family.
Suleman’s somewhat arrogant declaration has elicited responses from Nigerians home and away, most of them making light of his claim to the hand of God during the attack. To the man of God, there couldn’t have been a more timely divine intervention in his life than that unfortunate incident. But some discerning Nigerians consider his remark as a true revelation of the man himself, his true person, as Plutarch long ago observed.
In Plutarch’s reckoning, the insignificant things you say or do almost on the spur defines you rather than the big things you take time planning for. In this sense, Suleman inadvertently revealed himself without meaning to, a sort of Freudian slip defined as “an unintentional error regarded as revealing subconscious feelings.”
A cleric like himself but of the Catholic faith has since punctured Suleman’s divine claim. Rev. Fr. Kelvin Ugwu is of the Catholic Missionary. Following the GO’s assertion, Fr. Ugwu has said it is wrong to “use other people’s misfortune to elevate your own story,” insisting that the “life of the Apostle is not more valuable than the police officers and civilians who were murdered in the unfortunate attack.”
Continuing, Fr. Ugwu said inter alia: “I have always said it here, when giving testimonies, be sensitive. Don’t use other people’s misfortune to elevate your own story. In their bid to assassinate you, seven persons were killed and you are like “my life is in the hands of God, nobody can kill me. Well, I will not thank God that you survived the assassination, I will rather thank God that you admitted to knowing those that were behind the assassination and shooting.”
On Suleman’s claim that he knew those behind the attack, the Catholic priest urged Suleman’s followers to be careful. “And for those working closely with the minister,” he cautioned, “I will advise you take necessary precautions because it seems he knows something that is capable of putting you at risk, which you may not be aware of.”
In a Daily Post report soon after the shooting, respondents reacted thusly through their Twitter handles. @SirDavidBent: “Apostle Suleman escaped that assassination attempt only because he was in a bulletproof car. Let’s not start any theatrics about “Blood of Jesus” or anything. The crux of the issue is that lives were lost. Those people had families. When will insecurity end? That is the question.”
@johnmoyewa: “Apostle Suleman could have been killed!! Anointing oil didn’t save him, stickers didn’t save him, and he was saved by his bulletproof car.”
@MadeOfStreet: “I’m just thinking about The Man of God, Apostle Suleman using bulletproof car and armed security guards.”
True, Apostle Suleman has touched lives through his ministry, gone on crusades across the country and even sponsored or still sponsoring students in schools, raised some more out of poverty and generally given a meaning to the lives of dozens more.
The question now is: Did the Almighty himself turn his face from those who died? And why? No one, the scripture reminds us, can question God. But does the same rule apply to us mere mortals and even general overseers? Would any of the victims have died if they were in bullet-proof cars or jeeps?
It is doubtful. But one thing seems clear from Suleman’s utterance: like most Nigerian politicians, some supposed men of God in Nigeria do not much care for others but themselves and their immediate families. That is the inference from the charismatic preacher’s post-attack speech, something like God spared him because of his special designation as a servant of God.
Still trending as we go to press, there have been speculations why the attack took place in the first place. One theory holds that it was a kidnap attempt on him, which was why the killers directed their shots at the vehicle he was riding in more than any other in the convoy. Another version points to a possible assassination attempt by some of his church members. It was said that before the attack itself, some members of his church kept tracking him along the way, asking the GO where he was at every moment.
Whether it is true or not is hard to say. The preacher himself may have given a hint of this when he claimed that he knew those who planned the assassination attempt but wouldn’t name them.
With the rather oxymoronic name common to people born in the northern part of Edo state where he comes from – Afemai – Apostle Johnson Suleman is as charismatic as they come. He dresses to kill, either in his flowing well-tailored traditional outfits or in his bespoke, colourful jackets and camera-loving ties. He has a face to match, a well-trimmed moustache gracing his upper lip. His oratorical skill is something else, say those who have heard him speak from the pulpit or out of it.
Combined with his deep pockets, no wonder quite a number of Nollywood actresses swooned at his feet, dating him at various times and even hoping for marriage at some point when the going was good. Halima Abubakar was one such actress who expected to be Mrs. Johnson Suleman or so she thought. It crashed and the Nollywood has-been took to social media to call out the Apostle who denied he ever had anything to do with Ms. Abubakar. His lawyers threatened to sue if the actress failed to recant. She has dared them, saying that “we’ll see in court.”
Another woman who claimed she had an affair with Suleman has also dared him. In 2018, Stephanie Otobo, a Nigerian-Canadian singer, claimed she had some tryst with the preacher. He denied any affair with her. She then went on to release a disc track and photo of what she claimed was the man of God’s genitals.
For her kiss-and-tell, Otobo spent time at Kirikiri Correctional Facility in Lagos, following Suleman’s report to the police of her blackmail, threat to life, conspiracy and intent to steal from him. Like the Furies, sex scandals have trailed the man of God, making him the subject of public ridicule in the process. A popular blogging site, Gistlover, once published names of women Suleman allegedly had sexual encounters with.
Another online publisher, Israel Balogun, once posted videos of the pastor “praying for the audience to receive mysterious money alerts.” Balogun was arrested in 2021 following the post but was released after meeting his bail conditions. He has since taken the offensive post from his Youtube.
For all the bimbo eruptions swirling around him, Apostle Suleman cannot be blamed. It is doubtful if the women themselves would have even given him a second glance if not for who he is. Besides, all the women, by their own account, entered the relationship on their own volition. Moreover, there are countless cases of broken marriage proposals/ promises everywhere and none of the affected parties have made it a subject of public discourse like a crybaby hard done by.
Whether or not Suleman’s lawyers will go to court in the has-been Nollywood actress’s defamation case is not immediately clear. But what is quite obvious from the assassination attempt on the evangelist is that he has not only denied himself some positive publicity traction but also unintentionally revealed himself by his utterance.
“My life is in the hands of God,” Suleman said almost gloatingly, “nobody can kill me except God.” The lives of the seven who died in the attack, it goes without saying, are in the hands of someone else and not the same God Suleman serves.
About the Author
Michael Jimoh is a Nigerian journalist with many years experience in print media. He is currently a Special Correspondent with THEWILL.
