Nollywood actress Halima Abubakar has publicly apologized to Apostle Johnson Suleman, the Senior Pastor and General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International, for her defamatory remarks about him.
In a statement shared on her Instagram account on Wednesday, Abubakar acknowledged that her previous statements were “false and hurtful.” She expressed regret for the pain caused by her allegations and pleaded for forgiveness from Apostle Suleman and his family.
She attributed her actions to poor judgment at the time, explaining that the apology stemmed from “deep reflection and conscience.” “I am writing to you today to acknowledge the falsehoods I made against you on social media and to offer my sincere apology,” her letter stated.
“After deep reflection, and in order for my conscience to be in accord with God, I have realized the extent of the harm, pain, and distress caused by my lies. “I admit that I made false allegations against you and regret my actions and the damage they caused to you, your wife, Dr. Mrs. Lizzy Suleman, your family, and the leaders of Omega Fire Ministries. With this letter, I humbly ask for your forgiveness, recognizing that my apology cannot undo the harm, pain, and distress I caused.
“I ask you to find a place in your heart to forgive me, as I was not thinking clearly at that time. Sir, you have done so much for humanity; please extend your hands of forgiveness to me,” she wrote. Abubakar had previously claimed on social media in 2022 that she had a romantic relationship with Suleman, leading to threats of legal action from the cleric over her “defamatory statements.”
The controversy escalated in 2023 when the actress alleged she had been pregnant three times with Suleman’s child. In April, a federal high court in Abuja ruled in favor of Apostle Suleman, ordering Halima to pay N10 million in damages for defamation.
The court also prohibited her from publishing further defamatory statements against him. Apostle Suleman has responded on his X handle saying that forgiveness does not equate to forgetting, “You all stop calling my phone. Forgiveness is not memory loss! Status quo maintained!”
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