A Lagos State High Court has ordered Canada-based singer Stephanie Otobo to pay ₦100 million in damages to Johnson Suleman following a long-running defamation case that dates back to 2017.
Justice Olubunmi Fadipe delivered the judgment after years of legal battles between the singer and the founder of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide.
The controversy first exploded publicly in 2017 when Stephanie accused Suleman of having a sexual relationship with her.
At the time, she alleged that the cleric impregnated her, gave her a substance to terminate the pregnancy, and promised to marry her.
Suleman strongly denied the allegations and later filed a lawsuit against her.
The singer later withdrew the accusations, claiming she had been “heavily paid” by certain politicians and pastors to blackmail the cleric.
However, the controversy resurfaced again in 2022 after Stephanie shared explicit photos online which she claimed were originally intended for Suleman.
According to court documents dated May 5, 2026, Suleman filed for an injunction, demanding a retraction of the defamatory statements, ₦500 million in damages, and a public apology.
Court records showed that Stephanie was served with a summons in November 2022 but allegedly failed to acknowledge it.
She was also reportedly absent when the matter came up in court in December 2023 before trial proceedings eventually commenced in February 2025.
In its ruling, the court agreed that Suleman suffered reputational damage but reduced the requested compensation from ₦500 million to ₦100 million.
“I award the sum of ₦100 million aggravated damages to the claimant against the defendant,” the judgment stated.
The court also ordered Stephanie to publish a full-page apology on the online platforms used to circulate the defamatory statements as well as in Punch Newspapers and Sunday Sun for seven consecutive publications.
In addition, the court restrained Stephanie, her associates, and agents from making any further defamatory statements against the cleric.
The dispute between the parties became one of Nigeria’s most talked-about church-related scandals after surfacing nearly a decade ago, generating intense debate across social media, religious circles, and entertainment platforms.
