Kemi Omololu-Olunloyo: 14 Policemen Armed with AK-47 Tied Me Up, Drove Me to Port Harcourt from Ibadan

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Six-foot tall, she towers above many of her peers. Looking plain but exquisite, the infectious cackle in her voice betrays her gregarious nature. Despite spending several weeks in prison, the glint in her eyes has not lost its lustre. Portrayed as a larger-than-life character on and off the Internet, she has a past that haunts her and a future she dreams to live . Meet the international journalist and founder of HNNAfrica, Kemi Omololu-Olunloyo, who got into trouble over a report she posted online. In this interview with Bayo Akinloye, Omololu-Olunloyo talks about her past, present, and future, underlining her relationship with Salvation Ministries’ Founder, David Ibiyeomie, her father, and love for an Owerri man

What happened that a Port Harcourt Pastor got you arrested?
Somebody sent me an eight-page letter – you know I’m ‘notorious’ for investigative journalism and I’ve been doing this since I was in America – and through that letter somebody took advantage of me. Like I said in the testimony, the Devil –he – used me. The people that took advantage of me were the Devil. They used me; they tried to genuinely destroy a man of God – an anointed man of God. I don’t have to talk much about that. You saw it in the testimony video posted online. Didn’t you? But here’s the gist: somebody sent a message to my inbox; I always get a lot of messages in my inbox and I’ve done a lot of expose based on those tips sent to my inbox. My job as an investigative journalist is to investigate the tips sent to me by people.

About the eight-page letter; when I received it I took the first page and posted it on the Internet, starting that I received a message from a member of Salvage Ministry alleging corruption in the church. There was nothing about adultery mentioned in the post I made.
The member alleged that there was a car missing which was to the church and that the car was in Iyabo’s garage; and that Iyabo had given the car to her personal aide. My job was to investigate the missing car. I didn’t care about the alleged adultery. As a matter of fact, I’ve told Wikipedia that I would sue them if they didn’t take down the post claiming that I talked about adultery. (Chris) Oyakhilome broke up with his wife, I didn’t write about it.

Five times I reached out to Iyabo on Instagram, Iyabo didn’t respond to my calls. I sent messages to her inbox, I didn’t get any response. Some people don’t read the messages in their inbox because they’re celebrities – so, they don’t have time to read any messages. But me, I read all messages in my inbox. Last night I read 4,000 messages in my inbox. I also contacted Ibiyeomie – the Salvation Ministries called me back but I didn’t know who was talking to me on the phone though the person claimed to be Ibiyeomie but I knew that wasn’t the pastor’s voice. Anyway, the person said, ‘Leave the man of God alone.’ I told the person that I was just doing my job; investigating a claim. The person said, ‘If you‘re not careful, the wrath of God will come upon you. Dangote trailer will crush you.’ The person went on cursing me. I just realised that a whole church was praying against me – a lot of bad things could have happened to me. I could have been killed. What did I do wrong? I didn’t see anything. But everybody was saying, ‘Kemi published this…’ ‘Kemi posted that…’ Defamation isn’t a criminal offence in other climes. But it is criminal in Nigeria. I only posted a news tip; I didn’t write any story that Iyabo was a prostitute.

Did the letter talk about adultery?
Yes; I posted the eight-page letter talking about corruption and how the pastor and a Nollywood actress were doing this and doing that in a house in Port Harcourt  – adultery this, adultery that. So, I sought some witnesses; I couldn’t get anything. I couldn’t get confirmation or denial from Ibiyeomie. I couldn’t get confirmation or denial from Iyabo. But I learnt the church denied the allegations – not to me but to other people. I ended up in a trial that was very, very deep.

So, you were sued by the Founder and Senior Pastor of Salvation Ministries, David Ibiyeomie?
Did you know I had already won this case? Federal court I had hearing, December 11 and 12; and the magistrate’s court. They wanted to crucify; they charged me to two courts. They were taking me back and forth to the courts. At a point I started feeling weak; the whole situation was aching. I was spending N200,000 each time I came to the court – ticket, N60,000; drop from Ibadan to and fro Murtala Muhammed, N30,000; drop from airport to hotel in Port Harcourt, food, drinks – everything added up was costing me a lot of money. I didn’t have money any more. I just got tired.  Before then, I had called the bluff of the person who called me; I told the person to go ahead and sue me. I had thought it was a civil case until 14 police officers showed up in my house. They almost pulled the gate down. They surrounded my house, armed with AK-47s to arrest who? Evans? Don Wanney? Who else? EFCC’s fraudster? No, a journalist; the daughter of a former governor.

To cut the long story short, I was taken to Port Harcourt (Rivers State), tied up at the back of a Hilux and driven across eight states – my human rights were violated. The police lied to me: they said they wanted to talk to me about a non-criminal matter. They said they were taking me to Oyo State CID to question me on a non-criminal matter. That was how they got me out of the house. They told my mom it was a non-criminal matter that someone complained about me.  They told my mom to meet us at Police Headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan. But the next thing I noticed was that they veered into the highway and the next thing I saw was ‘Welcome to Ijebu Ode.’ I thought they were going to kill me. I asked them where they were taking me but they didn’t say. I know in Nigeria people can just abduct you and kill you. I was terrified. I had to struggle with their AK-47 at one point. (That journey) was the longest eight hours of my life.

The lawsuit against you was withdrawn. How do you feel about the pastor?
Pastor David Ibiyeomie is my spiritual father now. Today, I call him ‘Papa’. My so-called fans became irate when they saw my testimony video that went viral – the so-called fans using paracetamol for my headache. They made terrible comments online about me. I wonder: did anyone of them visit me in the prison? Did anyone one of them give me money to feed when I was in prison custody? I don’t care a hoot about them. When I went to the church I gave Ibiyeomie a hi-five and I said, ‘Papa!’ He has taught me about the Holy Spirit.

Some people are worried you’ve been brainwashed or that the time you spent in prison has had adverse effect on you.
I am a member of the Salvation Ministries now; nobody has brainwashed me. I simply gave my life to Christ. I’ve done everything in my world. Single mother with three children and successful; I’ve lived in America and Canada. I have enjoyed the world. My life is now about God. I can’t do anything but serve God.

Why do you think people misunderstand you and conclude that you’re a controversial character?
Most of them misunderstand me because they are illiterates  – write it like that. Some Nigerians don’t know anything about the world; I’m a global citizen. Some people sit in Nigeria – they’ve never been to America – they have little or no knowledge how certain things are done or said over there. They are illiterate Nigerians – I’m not going to call them ‘educated illiterates’. They’re either illiterates or they’re not. There misunderstanding stems from ignorance. Please quote me: 60 per cent on Nigerians on social media are just silly, stupid illiterates. They don’t want to learn; maybe a number of them want to learn. On the social media they go about insulting me; they say I’m controversial.

Your critics accused you of once making a controversial post concerning the Redeemed Christian Church of God’s General Overseer, Enoch Adeboye. Is that correct?
I attacked Adeboye in 2013, saying that Adeboye’s wards (students of Redeemer’s University) were drug addicts – that they were all taking cocaine. I found that out; I did my investigations and I wrote the story. Guess what: few years later, Adeboye launched a rehab centre. Did he not? Some rich kids at Redeemer’s University use cocaine. One of them, who killed his father, was reported in the papers sometime ago. I never had any personal issue with Adeboye. I only reported a story. I don’t fabricate falsehoods. There are many other Adeboye stories I put out there and the truth is obvious. Anybody can sue me if they want to.

It was reported your father, Omololu Olunloyo, at a time had to apologise to Adeboye because of your claim?
That is not true. My father never went to apologise to Adeboye. I can only remember my dad going to that church in Ibadan to worship like any other politician – and he prayed for me. The story that my dad went to Adeboye to beg on my behalf was made up.

But you had to apologise to Ibiyeomie. Why?
I apologised to Ibiyeomie on behalf of somebody that tried to use me to do the devil’s work – that does not mean that I have been posting lies online about people – let that be clear. In Adeboye’s church, my brother is a pastor there. Ayobami Olunloyo is a senior pastor at RCCG in London.

With your newfound faith, do you intend to be a pastor?
I have plans to attend the Salvation Ministry’s pastoral classes to become a pastor. I want to become a lady pastor – aka Woman of God – so that I can anoint people. I want to continue belonging to Jesus.

You said the Nigeria Police lied to you about the Ibiyeomie case; tied you up and drove you down to Port Harcourt. Won’t you seek redress for the breach of your rights?
I have told the prosecutors that the current Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, would have to give me some money. I’m not going to sue the Nigeria Police. Idris will have to bring me some money; he will deposit it in my account. Yes; he will have to invite me to Abuja. I want to meet him. I need to let him know that criminal defamation does not belong to democracy; it belongs to military dictatorship. Let me also tell you that I’m interested in being an ambassador of the Nigeria Police Force. After all, the first deputy IG in Nigeria was my grandfather – Chief Samuel Akinyemi; my mother’s father. I got my investigative skills from my grandfather. I would say he was the best in the CID until he retired and went to the House of Assembly in the old western region. I was a police volunteer in Canada. The Nigeria Police need the support of the people. I am willing to support them.

How did your children feel about your ordeal, spending months in prison?
My youngest son was very disturbed; he had to stop school at one point. He stopped school because I couldn’t pay his tuition while in detention. It was God who brought me out of prison.

Do you have any plans to settle down?
Yes oh! I want to marry this year. Pastor (Ibiyeomie) said I would marry this year. Apostle Chinyere Chibuzor (of Omega Power Ministries) has prayed for me. He has put a ring on my finger. Chibuzor said I would get married in 2018.

What kind of man are you looking at?
I will settle for an Owerri man from Imo State. I love Owerri. I like everything about Owerri that I have heard. The man should not be aggressive.

If you got married what would you do differently in relation to your previous relationships?
I am a God-fearing woman now. I am about to become a female pastor. I have three children for two men. I was abused emotionally and physically. If I got married now, the man must be tender, loving, and caring. He must not abuse me either physically or emotionally. I have given my life to Jesus. I will now submit – if I got married now I’d be submissive to my husband. I must be submissive – that doesn’t make me a slave. I once said I wanted a man who would take orders from me. Right now, I’ll be submissive but will not be a slave. I want a loving man as a husband. On my wish list for 2018 is marriage: I want to marry a rich Ikwerre man or Owerri man.

What about reconciling with your father with whom you’ve had a frosty relationship?
I haven’t seen my dad for three years even though we both live in Ibadan. In giving my life to Jesus, certain things must change.

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