General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has been invited by the Department of State Services to appear at its National Headquarters in Abuja.
The cleric has been invited for interrogation on Monday by 10:00 am.
The invitation is believed to be connected to Suleman’s alleged inciting comments that Christians should defend themselves against attacks by Fulani herdsmen.
Operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, had in the early hours of Wednesday attempted to arrest the fiery preacher but were prevented by the Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose.
In a recent message to his congregation, Suleman had said, “I told my people, any Fulani herdsman you see around you, kill him. I have told them in the church here, that any Fulani herdsman that just entered by mistake, Kill him, Kill Him. Cut his head. If they are busy killing Christians and nothing is happening, we will kill them and nothing will happen.”
But addressing his congregation following his botched arrest, Suleman vowed not to apologise, stressing that he has nothing personal against Fulanis and Muslims.
Suleman maintained that he holds Fulani people who are tolerant and respect the sanctity of human life in high regards.
“I need to speak about this because of my friends and most of our northern pastors who have Fulani members.
“Many of them have been so concerned. They said: ‘Daddy, we know you love us.’… My driver in Lagos is a Muslim. He has been driving me for nine years and I have bought him two cars. If I am not tolerant, a Muslim won’t drive me.
“One day, there was an issue that happened at the gate of the church and I met with all the security men. I discovered that one of them was a Muslim and I asked how he happened to be there.
“He said he had been here for a long time and he was their supervisor, chief security officer. The way people make comments online, they say, ‘He has asked Muslims to kill Christians’.
“Let me give you an example, the emir of Kano is an intelligent Fulani man. He is a Muslim. There was a church that was destroyed, but he rebuilt it.
“Will I tell people to go and kill such a person? The Fulani people who are very enlightened have called me. They understand me.
“The reason I’m speaking now is because the herdsmen whom I am angry against are happy that this issue has become a religious one.
“I’ll not withdraw my statement and those of you who are my children and pastors need to know what I’m fighting for, so that you can stand tomorrow and say ‘this is what I’m fighting for’.”
He accused his opponents of portraying him in a bad light before the All Progressives Congress, APC-led Federal Government.
