Late Femi Jimoh’s Death: The truth and the lies against MFM unknown to many
In the last couple of days, some fabricated contents conveying lies and falsehood linking the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries to the death of Femi Jimoh, a former pastor with the ministry, has been making the rounds.
Many will recall that the late Pastor Femi Jimoh, a former clergy with MFM, was arrested and detained along with three others who planned to intercept and rob the church of its annual First Fruit offerings back in 2007. The attempt was foiled by the Police who subsequently arrested and prosecuted Femi Jimoh and his accomplices.
The case lingered for about nine years, and Femi remained in detention largely because no one was willing to step forward and bail him. And after he was eventually released, he was soon taken to court again by the CSO to the General Overseer, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, whom the late Femi Jimoh claimed was behind his ordeal because he ran into him (the CSO) at a herbalist’s place.
Following the shocking death of Femi Jimoh, Maureen Badejo, Gbenga Dan Asabe, both well known antagonists of MFM, have gone on social media to distort the narrative and sell a malicious fabrication to the public, claiming the late Femi Jimoh, according to their account, “died as a result of heart related ailment he suffered while in detention which came about as a result of the long period of incarceration he was made to go through by MFM.”
Going by our findings, a few members of the church leadership were aware of the news making the rounds connecting the ministry to the late Femi Jimoh’s death but no official response has been given yet by the church.
Further investigation by The Prime Citizens.com.ng has revealed that while MFM appears saddened by the death of Femi Jimoh, regardless of his misdemeanour in the past, because he is first and foremost a human being, and the ministry does sincerely wish the family the fortitude to bear the loss, still the ministry cannot in any way be blamed for his death.
This was a man who attempted to commit a heinous crime against the church. He connived with three others to steal the church’s First Fruit offerings in 2007 and by some sheer miracle those he connived with reported him to the police who in turn set him up with the help of those who reported him and he was arrested by the police and for nine years he was incarcerated. So, logically, if he is dead today as a result of some ailments he developed during incarceration, the questions discerning minds are asking are, how is that Olukoya or MFM’s fault? Why should anyone blame the ministry for his death? And from what has been made public about the case when it first broke years ago, The Prime Citizens can reveal authouritatively that Femi Jimoh did not suffer any serious ailment after his release. As a matter of fact, he still enjoyed his life to the fullest frolicking with women with monies raised for him after he regained his freedom.
For the records, it has been very well documented that it was not even MFM or the General Overseer that got Femi Jimoh arrested, it was the Police. So, the case was against the state not the ministry anymore. People need to realise this and understand that there’s a big difference between the two.
People do not also know that the late Femi Jimoh had a history of criminality, so we are not talking about a guy that was unjustly treated. All of the atrocities he committed while he was transferred to Warri were all properly documented. He had had series of cases of gross misconduct before the attempted robbery case. Even his own uncle testified to the fact that he clearly had committed too many crimes against the church and was obviously struggling with inherent criminal tendencies. So, it will be extremely wicked and unfair to say MFM or Dr. Olukoya was responsible for his death. Some members and well wishers of the ministry who have gone on social media to comment on the issue have insisted they know where all of the malicious stories may have emanated from. They have fingered the “highly manipulative and dubious Funke Ashekun and others being they were the first set of people to manipulate Femi and make money out of him through the GoFundMe campaign they did to raise funds for him after he was released from detention”. And of course, they say, “everyone knows the notorious Maureen Badejo as well. They are all unrepentant antagonists of MFM who profited from the late Femi Jimoh while he was alive and now, even in death, they still seek to profit from him by writing sensational stories and his death and it’s connection to MFM that are not only outrageous but absolutely unfounded just to drive traffic to their platforms!” They implored the general public and the media to show total disregard to contents emanating from “these elements who have shown a total lack of integrity in all their conducts!” they asserted.
Efforts have been made to reach the family of the late Femi Jimoh to get them to speak on his death but no significant contact has been established.
Oba Olusegun Ayinde Feyijinmi, the Oniroko of Iroko, has appealed to the President of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and members of the National Assembly in Abuja to make Isese Day a legally recognized public holiday throughout Nigeria.
He made the appeal during the Isese Day celebration held in Iroko, Ogun State.
Oniroko explained that he was asking the President to extend the recognition nationwide because Isese is not exclusively a Yoruba affair.
According to him, the Hausa people also have their own traditional religious practices, as do the Igbo, and these indigenous traditions should be recognized by law so that people can continue to remember their roots and not forget where they came from.
He said: “A river that forgets its source will eventually dry up.
Even countries such as Brazil, England, Argentina and others have provisions that recognize and preserve their traditional heritage and practices.”
As is widely known, the 20th of August has been designated by some state governments as a day for the celebration of Isese.
This is why the Lagos, Ogun and Oyo State Governments have declared the day a work-free day for their public servants.
The same celebration took place in Iroko, Ogun State, a town sometimes referred to as Iroko village.
From about 6:30 a.m., practitioners of Isese in the town came out dressed in white traditional attire, led by the Oniroko of Iroko, Oba Olusegun Ayinde Feyijinmi.
They first proceeded to a river called Erukomu, where they performed traditional prayers and offerings for the peace and prosperity of the town.
The people of the community gathered there with singing, dancing and traditional drums.
They prayed for continued peace in the community and for greater development and prosperity.
After this, they proceeded to dance through the town and visited various ancestral sites and cultural landmarks, where they offered prayers.
They also visited a place known as Oju Alaalẹ, regarded as the location where the town’s ancestors first settled.
Various traditional rites were performed there, and prayers were offered to the ancestors for the wellbeing and prosperity of the community in the coming year.
In his remarks, the Oniroko of Iroko, Oba Olusegun Feyijinmi, expressed his appreciation for the large turnout of residents and participants during the celebration.
He thanked the government for recognizing and supporting Isese, stating that:
“Isese is our father, Isese is our mother; our ancestors and Òrìṣà are all connected to Isese.”
He explained that families and members of the community came together to celebrate the occasion.
He continued:
“From the morning of that day, we began according to our traditional practice, praying for peace to enter the town and for good things to continue to prosper in Iroko.
“We returned to Oju Alaalẹ, where the founders of this town first settled.
We went there to pray for them and the ancestors also emerged with us before we proceeded to celebrate the Iwẹjẹ-Wẹmu ceremony.”
He once again expressed his appreciation to the government for granting them the opportunity to celebrate Isese publicly.
He also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for allowing and supporting the observance of Isese.
However, he said the responsibility now rests with the remaining governors of the Yoruba states who have not yet declared Isese Day a public holiday, as some other states have done.
He added that when discussing Isese, Osun State cannot be left out, particularly Ile-Ife, because Ile-Ife is regarded as a major ancestral and spiritual centre of Isese and the place from which the tradition originated.
