Vibeslyfe gathered that Badejo was arrested in Lagos on Friday by detectives attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
A UK-based Nigerian blogger, Maureen Badejo, has been arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force following petitions reportedly filed against her by senior Christian clerics.
Vibeslyfe gathered that Badejo was arrested in Lagos on Friday by detectives attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). She is currently being interrogated at the police Cybercrime Unit in the Adekunle area of Yaba, Lagos State, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Information obtained by Vibeslyfe indicates that the arrest followed petitions submitted to the police by the General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleiman, and the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Dr Daniel Olukoya.
While details of the allegations contained in the petitions were not immediately clear at the time of filing this report, sources said the case is linked to online publications and social media activities allegedly connected to the blogger.
As of Friday evening, the police had yet to issue an official statement clarifying the allegations against Badejo or the legal basis for her continued detention. Efforts to reach the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, for comment were unsuccessful.
In August 2023, Vibeslyfe reported that Badejo rejected an offer by Apostle Suleman to pay £500 monthly towards a £19,601 judgment sum awarded against him by the Queen’s Bench Division of the UK High Court of Justice.
In March 2022, the same court ordered Suleman to pay Badejo £19,601 as sanctions in a defamation suit he had filed against her. Badejo was subsequently summoned to appear in court over allegations of defamation, a case that attracted significant public attention.
Vibeslyfe also reported that Nigerians in the diaspora raised funds to support Badejo’s legal defence, following appeals made by the GIOTV host to her viewers and supporters to help cover legal costs.
In a ruling obtained by Vibeslyfe, UK Judge His Honour Judge Lewis, under Claim No. QB-2022-000504 dated 10 March 2022, dismissed Suleman’s application and ordered him to pay Badejo the £19,601 sum.
Separately, in December 2023, Vibeslyfe reported that a former MFM pastor, Sunday Bawura Olowoyeye, filed a N1 billion lawsuit against Dr Olukoya, alleging illegal and oppressive detention.
Olowoyeye also raised concerns over an alleged threat to his life, stating that he joined MFM in 1993 and became a pastor in 1995. He claimed he was posted to various states until 2021, when he left the church, citing neglect of his family during his wife’s critical illness.
According to court documents obtained by Vibeslyfe, Olowoyeye alleged that he was arrested and detained for 16 days at the Federal Criminal Investigation Department in Alagbon, Lagos, purportedly on the orders of Dr Olukoya, after sharing his grievances with Badejo, who later publicised his claims.
Badejo has interviewed several individuals who have made serious allegations against both clerics, allegations which, according to available records, were not publicly addressed at the time