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Lagos prophet, Marcus Tibetan, who promised church member land near Dangote refinery in N65m mess

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2 years ago

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Marcus Tibetan, a popular Lagos prophet of a white garment church, has been accused of a N65 million land scam by his church member, David Timileyin, whom he allegedly promised land near the recently inaugurated Dangote refinery in the state.

According to Timilehin, a real estate businessman, his relationship with Tibetan was that of a father and son as he had taken the prophet as a spiritual guide.

Timilehin said, in 2022, Tibetan informed him of the availability of two hectares of land (30 plots) supposedly in Ketu, Epe area of the state, belonging to Omolara Akintonde, another church member and former first lady of Ogun state. The value of the land was put at N2 million per plot and some additional costs, which put the total money at N65.5 million.

After he showed interest in the land, Timilehin said Tibetan offered himself as a go-between for the transaction. He said he told the prophet that he would need to get a lawyer to help seal the deal given the huge amount involved, but the prophet told him he would not need a lawyer since he is the one involved.

Timilehin said he paid the N65.5 million cost of the land to the prophet to be transferred to Akintonde. But a year after, Timilehin has not been allocated the land; neither did he receive a receipt of payment nor any documentation of the land. Instead, he has been involved in a back-and-forth conversation with the prophet and Akintonde.

“There are indications that Tibetan and Akintonde have connived to deny me my hard-earned money,” Timilehin said.

“He has not denied collecting money from me. The transaction evidence is there in the audio. On the other hand, Akintonde has also not denied collecting money from Prophet Tibetan.”

The situation, however, got messier when Timilehin visited the land without Tibetan’s knowledge and discovered that it was not what was described to him by the prophet.

“The prophet told me the 30 plots of land were close to the Dangote refinery. But I have since discovered that the land is in the forest of Epe. It is largely an uncultivated land in the remote areas of Epe which can’t sell for more than N1 million per plot,” Timilehin said.

“The prophet was furious when he got to know I went to check the land. It was like I had done something evil. That was after I had paid. I wonder why he was so annoyed that I went to check the land I paid for. It was when I saw the land that I discovered it was not the land they told me about.”

“Later, the woman said the earlier price of N2 million per plot was a mistake, that the land actually cost N5 million per plot. So, for the 30 plots of land, I may have to pay N150 million. It was at this point I said I’m no longer interested in the land and they should refund me. The woman has blocked me from her phone.

“Before she blocked my number, she asked me to go and meet the prophet since it was the prophet who collected money from me. I had to use a friend’s phone to reach her to put further pressure on her to return my money.

“At a point, the prophet told me even if the woman agrees to refund the fund, what if she dies in the process, what would I do? He had also made several insinuations about an impending doom. He told me one time that there are people who build mansions and never lived in them. When he was trying to discourage me from getting a lawyer, he asked if I have heard of cases of lawyers being killed or kidnapped.”

In a letter to Akintonde, Ayo Durojaiye, Timilehin’s lawyer asked for a refund, saying the land deal “is tainted with fraud”.

The lawyer said his client also discovered that the land was allocated to Akintonde by the Lagos state government for purely commercial purposes and not for residential buildings. According to Durojaiye, the land was supposed to be for a petroleum refinery.

In a phone call with TheCable, Tibetan denied receiving money from Timilehin.

“I’m not dodging; I’m not running and I’m not a small boy in Nigeria. I also met Timilehin through the Internet. I didn’t know Akintonde. She happens to be a member of Celestial Church and I’m a shepherd in the church,” Tibetan said.

“She told me she had land to sell, a gigantic land given to her by Lagos state. I’ve helped a lot of people abroad to buy land through the woman. I don’t collect commissions. They brought the land documents to my house and Timilehin came from Abuja and signed it. Then, I told Timilehin and the woman that my job of connecting them is done and I’m no longer involved in the deal. I didn’t collect a commission from the woman and Timilehin. He should go and meet the woman to refund his money. I didn’t collect any money from Timilehin.”

However, bank statements presented by Timilehin showed he sent about N63 million in instalments to the prophet from February to March 2022.

Several calls and messages to Akintonde’s phone number seeking her side of the story were neither picked up nor acknowledged.

Meanwhile, in a voice note obtained by newsmen, Akintonde said all enquiries should be directed to the prophet to whom Timilehin paid the money.

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Religion

Mixed reactions trail ‘Jesus Christ is not God’ banner displayed at Lekki central mosque

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5 days ago

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December 18, 2024 12:57 pm

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Netizens across social media platforms have begun to condemn a banner about Jesus Christ displayed at the gate of the Lekki Central Mosque in Lagos State.

The inscription on the banner which went viral on Wednesday read, “Jesus Christ is not God. He is a Prophet and Messenger of God!”

However, reactions have trailed the message, with some arguing that the motive behind it was blasphemy.

Some others, however, maintained that the message has been affirmed by pastors many times.

A Nigerian actress, Wumi Tuase, took to her X and expressed displeasure saying, “I don’t like to get into religious conversations but I found it very weird that Lekki Central Mosque has this in front of their gate.”

A user who tweeted with the handle #Fisayo Ojabodu wrote, “You don’t see the banner is disrespectful to other people’s religion. And is propagating foolish agenda.”

One user who identified with the handle #Adesuwa noted that this action is nothing but blasphemy.

Another user who identified as #FS Yusuf tweeted, “Christianity is actually a religion of peace.

“In the last two decades, my family church has been set on fire by Muslim extremists for ridiculous reasons such as religious extremism and Buhari losing his 2011 election.

“This is the reality for hundreds of churches and also innocent individuals accused of blasphemy. If this write-up was done by a Christian organisation, we won’t be here typing. Until we learn to uphold tolerance, we can’t make progress as a pluralistic society.”

One Silva Bella on X said, “It’s not about Christianity is a religion of peace or not … Jesus is not God. I have read the Bible a lot of time and it obvious but I can’t still get why people call Jesus God. He’s the son which means God is the father.”

“Jesus is God, Jesus is your King and Jesus will pass judgment on all. For judgment will only be fair through him that has walked in your flesh and felt your pain,” GeradTheGreat opined.

“We are so peaceful, and we will remain peaceful, we don’t fight for our God, He fights for himself,” Joycccc wrote on Meta.

Another user on X, Expope said, “The late Deborah they set on fire has not done up to this before they all joined hands to terminate her life.”

On X, another user identified as #ChristTheLighhouse opined, “We as Christians accept criticism, backlash, rejection, and even insults. Our Lord and saviour whom we believe and serve received more up to the point of death! He prayed for unbelievers and his persecutors and killers.

“The gospel of repentance and conversation into Christianity and acceptance of Jesus as ones personal Lord and Saviour is never by force, war, coercion or propaganda…it’s by the gentle acts of the Holy Spirit of God.That is the game changer. It’s a personal experience. Ask Saul (later Paul) of Tarsus!”

On the contrary, one Muhammad Shaikhan said, “The beauty of this drama between Christians and Muslims is that everyone of us knows that God is one. God is always a God. We can’t substitute God with anybody. The argument is all about the teaching of Jesus and that of Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon them. So I don’t vex.”

Abdul’fattah Muhdl’awwal said, “Jesus himself never said he is God.

“You and the likes are the ones calling him God. Hence the quote in that banner is the fact and not blasphemous.”

One Olawale on Meta said, “The message on the banner is true.”

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Religion

Tobi Adegboyega debunks anti-gay allegations, says persecution politically motivated

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6 days ago

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December 17, 2024 9:31 am

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Tobi Adegboyega, the founder of the SPAC Nation church in the United Kingdom (UK), says his current travails are politically motivated.

The Nigerian pastor, who is at the centre of a UK deportation saga, said the persecution started after a member of parliament (MP) from his district alleged that he was advocating against the gay community.

In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Adegboyega said the MP reported the church’s activities to the police.

He said the police could not investigate the allegations against him and the church because they were “all nonsensical”.

“You can’t claim that our proof is inflated without telling us why. The UK Metropolitan Police gathered charities in the UK and asked them to go to SPAC Nation. I wrote solutions for the home office,” he said.

“Truths must be backed with facts. For 10 years, we have been persecuted without one single move.

“Allegations without indictment, so why shouldn’t we suspect biases?

“We have a situation where people believed I was supporting certain political parties because one person believed that my agenda was to go against the gay community, and from that day, we have been to reconciliation meetings.

“The person wrote that my evangelical zeal was to make sure that the gay community in that area does not survive.

“He took dossiers of evidence against the church to the sacred ground of the parliament and submitted it to the internal affairs minister, who submitted it to the police, and the police came back to say that they couldn’t even investigate one thing because it was all nonsensical.

“The person is an MP, and the same person is sitting behind these things, making sure that he is not defeated.

“If there is any honour left in his system, what such men should do is apologise unless you’re saying the police authority of Great Britain is inept, which would be quite unfortunate.”

Adegboyega dismissed the deportation case against him, stressing that the focus should be on the contribution of his church to the safety and businesses of people in the UK.

“The country cannot deny it. There is no prime minister who can deny the result of the work we have done. When the metropolitan police came to the church, that was about three years ago; they sat down, and they came to learn,” he said.

“It is our result of how many lives have been saved, how many knives we have taken off the street, and how many businesses we created for this economy.

“We had a few hours of the tribunal, and in the tribunal, I was given a few hours to talk about the SPAC Nation, and we defended the honour of the SPAC Nation.”

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Religion

Renowned Islamic scholar, Muyideen Bello, is dead

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2 weeks ago

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December 6, 2024 11:53 am

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The Muslim community has been thrown into mourning following the passing of one of its most revered figures, Alhaji Muyideen Bello.

Born in 1940 in Ibadan, Alhaji Bello was widely respected for his profound teachings and unwavering dedication to Islamic scholarship.

The announcement of his demise was made by another prominent Islamic scholar, Alfa Aribidesi of At-Tawdeeh Islamic Da’awah on Friday morning.

Corroborating the news of the demise, popular cleric and follower of the late Bello, who is also an Islamic singer, Alhaji Basit Olarenwaju popularly known as Aponle Anabi also shared the image of the 84 year old scholar with tearful emojis on his official Facebook page on Friday.

While details surrounding his death remain unclear, his passing marks the end of an era for a man who spent decades shaping the lives of countless individuals with his wisdom, guidance, and spiritual leadership.

Multiple reports from local media in Oyo State have also reported the demise of the revered cleric.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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