Founder of the Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministry, Pastor Chris Okafor, has announced a one-month break from the altar to rest and embark on a spiritual retreat with his wife.
The Lagos-based cleric made the announcement during a church service, a video of which went viral on Friday. He said he would be stepping aside throughout January, allowing four assistant pastors to minister in his absence.
“We have four Sundays in January, so in the whole of these four Sundays, we will be having Pastor Sylvester, Pastor Kelvin, Pastor Oliver and Pastor Shedrack. It’s going to be prophetic Sundays; we will have them minister to you, and anoint you every Sunday, that’s the instruction. So they will be here, while they are here, I will be resting,” Okafor said.
He explained that the period would be used for spiritual retreat and rest with his wife, noting that they had not had time to rest since their wedding.
“It will be time for personal retreat with God, and time for me and my wife to rest. Because, since our wedding, we have not rested. We haven’t had time; we haven’t even taken our honeymoon. So, we are stepping aside to pray, we’re stepping aside to have a retreat and to rest for this January and return better and stronger,” he added.
The development comes amid renewed allegations against the cleric from his ex-wife, Bessem, and Nollywood actress Doris Ogala.
Ogala had in 2025 accused the cleric of breaking promises of marriage and causing her emotional distress, among other allegations. Bessem had also accused him of physically assaulting her, while denying allegations of adultery reportedly levelled against her.
Reacting to Okafor’s decision, Ogala, in a video posted on her Instagram page on Thursday, said stepping aside from church duties was not enough and demanded explanations over what she described as his role in the death of her younger brother.
“Many people have said that he left me and married another person, that he detained me, that he sent my nude pictures, and that he apologised, so I should let it go. It does not work like that. Chris Okafor should come and explain to me what happened to my brother. Stepping down from the church is not enough,” she said.
She further alleged: “I heard that he stepped down from the altar for one month and handed over to his assistant pastor, but that is not enough for me. Chris Okafor, stepping down from the altar, is not enough. You have to explain to me what happened to my brother, the role you played and how my brother was poisoned. I have all the evidence, and I am going to play everything: voice recordings and all the plots.”
Ogala warned that she would release what she described as evidence if Okafor failed to respond.
“You have a long battle coming. No matter what, you had no right to go that far with me. I did nothing to you. People said I should forgive, but what am I leaving behind? If I leave everything, will the money he gives me bring my brother back?” she said.
“This is just the beginning. We have not started yet, Chris. Just hold on. I will be displaying everything. You will tell me what happened to my brother. What offence did he commit? Did he have anything to do with you? Why did you hurt me this much? Stepping down from the altar is not enough for me,” she added.
As at the time of filing this report, Pastor Okafor had yet to respond publicly to the latest allegations.
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