- Inibehe Effiong, lawyer for TikToker SeaKing, has threatened to sue Pastor Enoch Adeboye over his client’s arrest.
- SeaKing was detained in December 2024 after criticizing Pastor Adeboye’s 100-day fasting directive, calling it “stupid.”
- The Concerned Christian Youth Forum petitioned the Lagos State Police, leading to the arrest, sparking widespread social media backlash.
- The pastor claimed during a Holy Ghost Congress that he had no involvement in the arrest or petition.
Inibehe Effiong, the lawyer representing popular TikToker Olumide Ogunsanwo, also known as SeaKing, has threatened to sue Pastor Enoch Adeboye following the arrest of his client.
Effiong issued this warning just hours after the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) publicly supported SeaKing’s arrest for allegedly making derogatory remarks about the revered cleric.
The controversy began in December 2024 when SeaKing posted a TikTok video criticizing Pastor Adeboye’s directive for Nigerians to observe a 100-day fast, calling the instruction “stupid.”
Outraged by the remarks, the Concerned Christian Youth Forum, a religious youth group, petitioned the Lagos State Police Command, leading to SeaKing’s arrest.
The incident sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many condemning the move as an attack on free speech.
However, Pastor Adeboye, during a recent Holy Ghost Congress service, distanced himself from the arrest, claiming he had no knowledge of the petition or the individuals behind it.
Despite Adeboye’s remarks, RCCG’s Public Relations Department issued a statement on Monday reaffirming its support for SeaKing’s arrest.
The statement clarified that the petition was filed on behalf of the “Fathers of Faith, including Pastor Enoch Adeboye.”
In a response, Effiong condemned the church’s position and warned that unless the statement was retracted within 24 hours, Pastor Adeboye would be included in a lawsuit to enforce his client’s fundamental rights.
“Since Pastor Enoch Adeboye had initially distanced himself from the matter, we had decided not to join him and the church as respondents in any fundamental rights enforcement suit. We do not know what motivated the church’s sudden shift, as evidenced by the eccentric statement issued by the Public Relations Unit of RCCG.
“It is pertinent to state that the fundamental rights of Olumide Ogunsanwo have already been violated, as he was detained beyond the constitutionally permissible timeline and without any legally tenable grounds. Since RCCG has now chosen to align itself with the petitioner and drag Pastor Enoch Adeboye into the pit of illegality created by the police and the complainant, they must understand the legal consequences.
“We are now left with no choice but to include Pastor Adeboye as a party in any legal action we file to enforce SeaKing’s fundamental rights. This development may also require Pastor Adeboye to personally testify in court in any criminal case brought by the police, where he will be subjected to cross-examination, Effiong stated.
