Founder of Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo, has sparked widespread reactions after sharing dramatic testimonies of how kidnapped members of his church were allegedly freed following his intervention during contact with abductors.
Speaking in a sermon captured in a widely circulated video, the cleric recounted what he described as extraordinary moments where spiritual authority led to the release of victims held by kidnappers.
In one striking account, Oyedepo said a church pastor was kidnapped and that he personally spoke to the abductors during a ransom call, issuing what he described as a direct warning.
“One time one of our pastors was kidnapped. When they called, I said give me the phone and I told them, in 24 hours if you don’t release him you are dead,” he said.
According to him, events changed almost immediately after the exchange.
He claimed the environment around the abductors became unsettled, saying “the place was vibrating,” and that the pastor was subsequently released.
The cleric used the testimony to urge members of his congregation to invoke their faith in moments of danger, even going as far as telling worshippers to give abductors his phone number if they are ever kidnapped.
“If anybody picks you, give them my number. If he is not cut down, then I’m not sent. You carry the same force if you discover it,” he declared.
Oyedepo also shared another account involving a female church member who was abducted and, according to him, secured freedom after declaring words she attributed to him while in captivity.
“One of our daughters was captured somewhere. She told them that my father said I’m getting out of here latest by 7 am, and the kidnappers started cutting themselves,” he said.
The remarks have generated heavy discussion online, with supporters viewing the testimonies as powerful expressions of faith and spiritual authority, while others have debated the dramatic nature of the claims.
For many followers, however, the message was less about the extraordinary details and more about the bishop’s larger teaching on confidence, divine protection and spiritual authority in the face of fear.
The sermon also comes at a time of heightened national concern over insecurity and abductions, making the testimonies resonate beyond church circles.
Known for forceful declarations from the pulpit, Oyedepo’s comments have once again placed him at the center of public conversation, with the viral clip continuing to draw reactions across social media.
For his congregation, it was a message of faith under pressure.
For the internet, it became another moment impossible to ignore.
