Nigerian police have arrested Abuja-based pastor Festus Alilu, who criticised Korede Komaiya, the lead pastor of Master Place International, Delta State, a protégé of David Oyedepo, in a recent Facebook video.

A video of Mr Alilu speaking before he was arrested by police officers mobilised from Delta State was posted on X by Omoyele Sowore on Friday.

“It is because of the Facebook video I made, correcting his theological teaching of Komaiya,” Mr Alilu said in the short video of his arrest. He added, “It is Pastor Korede Komaiya who sent them to arrest me.”

Bright Edafe, spokesperson for Delta police, confirmed Mr Alilu’s arrest by officers of the state command.

Asked about Mr Alilu’s arrest by policemen from Delta State regarding Mr Komaiya’s petition on cyberbullying, Mr Edafe said, “Confirmed.”

“He is in our custody. He is not missing,” Mr Edafe told Peoples Gazette on Friday. However, he refused to provide further details on the cyberbullying petition filed against Mr Alilu.

Mr Komaiya, a former preacher with Mr Oyedepo’s Winners Chapel, could not be immediately reached for comments. The public telephone number on his church website is unreachable.

Eleojo Festus Alilu, wife of the arrested pastor, told The Gazette that her husband was arrested and taken to Abbattoir, former Special Anti-Ribbery Squad office in Abuja on Thursday night based on Mr Komaiya’s cyberbullying petition.

“Policemen from Delta State came to arrest him at our church at Jikoyi yesterday night. He was taken to abattoir yesterday night,” Mrs Festus said. “Pastor Korede Komaiya sent them from Delta State. They said they have arrest warrant to arrest him for cyberbullying.”

Mrs Alilu said she did not know her husband’s whereabouts as of Friday morning.

“I’ve not been allowed to see him today. I’m confused. I don’t even know his whereabouts now,” she said.

In a Facebook post, Mr Alilu criticised Mr Komaiya for preaching prosperity to deceive and defraud an undiscerning congregation.

“Pastor Korede Komaiya is a big problem in the body of Christ. Bishop David Oyedepo that you claim is your father, is he preaching the kind of gospel you are preaching? He will say all those lies and use it [sic] to raise money and say God bless you. Which God bless you? Which God will use psychological ways to steal and defraud people?” Mr Alilu said.

Mr Komaiya often calls himself one of the sons of Mr Oyedepo. He recently boasted that he contributed N250 million alongside and other three spiritual sons of Mr Oyedepo to buy the cleric a Rolls Royce on his 70th birthday.