A pastor's widow accuses a church founder of sexually harassing her in Nigeria.

Written by: Ayman Ragab

Daniel Olukoya, founder church MFM in Nigeria, a lawsuit for 550 million naira against the widow of a deceased pastor on charges of sexual harassment.

Dr. Daniel Olukoya, the superintendent of Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) Ministries, threatened to take legal action against Yuandi Roberts, the widow of the late Rev. Toby Roberts, MFM youth pastor and gospel singer, and daughter of former Nigerian Football Federation technical director, Olatunde Desu, over allegations of sexual harassment, psychological abuse, and the alleged unlawful seizure of her late husband's intellectual property.

Widow of pastor in Nigeria is being prosecuted

Olukoya, through his lawyer Jude Ehido, is seeking total damages of 550 million naira from Roberts following a series of social media posts in which she allegedly accused the prominent clergyman and the church of misconduct.

   Last year, Roberts publicly appealed to Olukoya and the leadership of the MFM Church to release her late husband's recorded songs and creative materials, which she claimed had remained in the church's custody since his death.

The dispute has now escalated into a legal battle after the church accused her of making defamatory claims against Olukoya and the ministry on social media platforms.

In a memorandum dated June 1, 2026, entitled “Memorandum of Claim in compliance with the Pre-Litigation Protocol of the Lagos State High Court’s Rules of Civil Procedure, 2019“, Olukoya’s lawyer accused Roberts of spreading ”false, malicious and defamatory allegations” against the clergyman and the church after her request to release the musical materials was denied.

Financial support

The message, which was sent to Yoandy Roberts via WhatsApp, stated that the church had provided her with financial support following the death of her husband.

The lawyer wrote: “We represent a duly incorporated five-member Christian ministry in Nigeria and its superintendent, Dr. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya (hereinafter referred to as “our clients”).

“Our clients informed us that you are a former member of the church and the widow of a young pastor who passed away after serving in the church throughout his life. After his death, the church provided you and your child with financial and social support.”

According to the letter, Roberts later demanded the release of certain musical works and recordings that were allegedly produced under the auspices of the church.

The lawyer stated: “After that, you demanded the release of some musical works and recordings that were produced under the auspices of the church. After this demand was rejected, you began a series of posts on various social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, blogs and other electronic media, in which you directed many false, malicious and defamatory allegations against our clients.”.

Olukoya’s legal team specifically pointed to the allegations Roberts claimed accuse the founder of the MFM movement of sexual harassment and condoning sexual misconduct within the church.

The letter stated: “In the aforementioned publications, you alleged, among other things, that the superintendent sexually harassed you, ignored complaints of sexual misconduct by church officials, and allowed an environment in which inappropriate behavior was tolerated.”.

The lawyer added that the allegations portrayed Olukoya as morally corrupt and unqualified to lead a religious organization.

Completely false posts

“The natural and normal meaning of the aforementioned publications is that the superintendent is morally corrupt, engages in sexual misconduct, abuses his position, lacks integrity, and is unqualified to lead a religious organization, while the church harbors and protects sexual abusers.”

“These publications are completely false, malicious, and lack any factual basis. They have been widely disseminated among members of the public, causing significant damage to our clients” reputation, standing, and good name.”

The church also claimed that the alleged publications caused public embarrassment and emotional distress to Olukoya and the ministry.

The memo added: “As a result, our clients have suffered public ridicule, embarrassment, emotional distress, and damage to their ministerial and institutional reputations.”.

Olukoya Roberts' lawyer demanded compliance with several conditions within seven days of receiving the memo.

The demands include withdrawing all statements allegedly defamatory, publishing explicit apologies in at least two national newspapers and on all digital platforms where the allegations were made, as well as permanently deleting all related content.

Accordingly, you are hereby required, within seven (7) days of receiving this notice, to do the following: “Withdraw all defamatory statements made against our clients; publish an unconditional apology in at least two (2) widely circulated national newspapers and on all digital platforms through which the publications were made; and permanently remove and delete all defamatory content relating to our clients from every platform under your control.”

The letter warned that non-compliance would result in legal action against Roberts without further notice.

The church said it would seek several damages in court, including 500 million naira as general damages and an additional 50 million naira as aggravated and punitive damages.

compensation

Please be advised that if you fail, refuse, or neglect to comply with the above demands within the specified period, our clients will initiate legal proceedings against you without further notice and will seek, among other things, the following compensation:

“Declaration that the posts are false, malicious, and defamatory; a permanent court order preventing further defamatory posts relating to our customers.”

“Order to compel the plaintiff to withdraw and publish an unconditional apology; general damages in the amount of 500,000,000.00 Naira (five hundred million Naira); aggravated and punitive damages in the amount of 50,000,000.00 Naira (fifty million Naira).”.

“An order to remove all defamatory content; costs of litigation; and any subsequent interest in the judgment that the court may determine.”

Despite the threat of litigation, the church expressed its willingness to resolve the dispute out of court through negotiation or alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

The message added: “Despite the above, our clients remain willing to explore an amicable resolution to this dispute through negotiation or any other recognized alternative dispute resolution mechanism.”.

The memo stated that it was issued pursuant to Lagos State High Court Directive No. 2 of 2019, and ordered Roberts to submit her response and any settlement proposal within seven days.

On October 6, 2025, the Sahara Reporters reported that Roberts accused Olukoya of sexual harassment, psychological abuse, and the unlawful withholding of her late husband's intellectual property for more than eight years.

In a detailed account shared with SaharaReporters, Roberts, the widow of the late Rev. Toby Roberts, MFM Youth Pastor and gospel singer, appealed to Olukuya to release her husband’s recorded songs and creative materials, which she claimed have been in the church’s possession since his death.

She said: “I was previously a Muslim, but I joined the church behind my institution because I felt I needed prayer and counseling due to the spiritual experiences I have had since childhood.”.

“I decided to meet with the General Supervisor of the Church of Mount Fire and Miracles for prayer and counsel.”

The work is translated.

According to Roberts, after meeting Olukoya, she was asked to work for him as a translator.

She claimed, “He asked me if I was a virgin, and deep down I wondered what he wanted to do with that information.”.

Roberts alleged that the superintendent of the MFM church subjected her to various forms of physical and psychological abuse under the guise of salvation.

She said: “He told me that I should come to his office to pray. He would put his hands in my ears, touch my eyes, rub my forehead, and choke me many times.”.

“I was worried, but I didn’t know who to tell because I knew people wouldn’t believe me.”

She also claimed that Olukoya once hugged her “in a way that made her feel uncomfortable.”.