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The Lagos State High Court has ordered Canada-based singer Stephanie Otobo to pay N100 million in damages to the founder of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide, Apostle Johnson Suleman, following a long-running defamation suit.
Justice Olubunmi Fadipe delivered the judgment after years of legal proceedings linked to allegations first made in 2017.
Stephanie Otobo had accused Apostle Suleman of engaging in a sexual relationship with her, alleging that she became pregnant and was later given substances to terminate the pregnancy. The cleric consistently denied the allegations and filed a lawsuit against the singer, leading to a highly publicised court battle.
According to court documents dated May 5, 2026, Suleman sought a court order compelling Otobo to retract the statements, issue a public apology and pay N500 million in damages.
Court records showed that Otobo was served summons in November 2022 but failed to appear in court or respond to the suit during subsequent hearings, including proceedings held in December 2023 when the matter was fixed for trial.
The trial formally began in February 2025, with the court ruling that the cleric suffered reputational damage as a result of the allegations.
In the judgment, Justice Fadipe reduced the initial N500 million claim and awarded N100 million in aggravated damages in favour of Apostle Suleman.
The court also ordered Otobo to publish a full-page apology on online platforms where the allegations were circulated, as well as in The Punch and Sunday Sun newspapers for seven consecutive editions.
Additionally, the court restrained the singer, her associates and agents from making any further defamatory statements against the cleric, stating that the order was necessary to prevent continued reputational harm.
The controversy first attracted national attention in 2017 and resurfaced in 2022 after Otobo shared images online connected to the dispute, reigniting public debate.
Stephanie Otobo had also previously appeared before a Lagos magistrate court on separate charges bordering on alleged blackmail and attempted extortion, allegations she denied.
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