EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Husband Accuses Lagos-Based Cleric Apostle Chikere Nwafor Of Using Police, Court To Keep Church Caretaker In Prison

Meanwhile, Alfred was framed over accusations of missing building materials, an action her ex-husband claims was driven by fear that the young man might sue her after his release.

Apostle Chikere Nwafor, founder of Heaven’s Gateway Ministries, is accused of orchestrating the arrest, prosecution, and continued incarceration of a longtime church caretaker, Mr. Alfred Morris Oyawari, in Lagos State over allegations of missing building materials

Meanwhile, Alfred was framed over accusations of missing building materials, an action her ex-husband claims was driven by fear that the young man might sue her after his release.

Alfred, who had reportedly overseen all of Apostle Chikere’s building projects, houses, and churches since 2018, has been languishing in Ikoyi Prison since April 2025, SaharaReporters has learned.

Speaking exclusively with SaharaReporters, Apostle Chikere’s ex-husband, Mr. Martin Ogbulu, said Alfred worked diligently as a caretaker of the church premises from 2018 until March 2025, earning just ₦40,000 monthly, before he was allegedly framed, arrested, and sent to prison after some items reportedly went missing from the church construction site.

Martin explained Alfred’s incarceration as deeply painful, saying the young man had remained loyal, humble, and submissive, even begging Apostle Chikere repeatedly for forgiveness while in detention.

“Seeing Alfred in prison breaks my heart,” Martin said. “This young man has begged her countless times, even from inside prison, calling her ‘Mummy.’”

According to Martin, the matter took a more troubling turn when the police demanded that Alfred’s relatives sign an undertaking promising that Alfred would never sue Apostle Chikere for wrongful detention as a condition for his release.

“Please, help me fight for that young man to be released,” Martin appealed. “Chikere uses the police to harass people. These are poor people who don’t know their rights.”

He further alleged a pattern of abuse and intimidation by the cleric, recounting incidents within the church where she allegedly slapped a married woman during service, only to later call her out publicly and hand her ₦100,000 the following Sunday.

“These are poor people. They don’t know their rights,” he said.

Martin explained that Alfred had volunteered to live permanently on the church site in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, near Amen Estate, an area he noted as isolated and difficult to inhabit.

The church property, he said, sits on a three-acre parcel of land, with Alfred being the only person living there for years, acting as caretaker, site supervisor, and liaison with contractors.

“Alfred volunteered to live at the church site. No one could really stay there; no human being wanted to. Sometimes she would even tell me, ‘Are you sure this Alfred is not a ghost?’ The church was in the middle of nowhere.

“It was a three-acre piece of land, and he was the only one living there in Ibeju-Lekki, near Amen Estate," Martin said.

He explained that both he and Apostle Chikere were outside Nigeria for long stretches, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and relied entirely on Alfred to supervise construction.

Despite the responsibility placed on him, Martin said Alfred earned only ₦40,000 monthly. He added that they bought Alfred a phone and paid for its usage to monitor construction remotely.

According to Martin, this “young man has been very good”.

“He helped us look after the place and managed all the contractors because we built the church through him and by phone,” he said.

“We were not in Nigeria during the construction, especially when COVID happened. We couldn’t travel to Nigeria from 2019.

“We were directing him: ‘Call this contractor, call that one.’ He was supervising everything. How much was he being paid? ₦40,000 a month. We bought him a phone and paid for its usage so we could see what was going on.”

“We built a small security post where he stayed. Now the church has been fully built," he explained.

Martin said he returned to Nigeria in November 2024 and stayed until March 2025. A month later, in April 2025, he received a call from Apostle Chikere informing him that Alfred had been arrested.

“In April 2025, she called me and told me she had locked up Alfred. I asked her why. She said some items were missing. That does not mean it was him," Martin said.

Even if Alfred was culpable, Martin questioned the moral justification of a cleric resorting to criminal prosecution rather than forgiveness.

“Even if it was him, what are you preaching? Are you not preaching forgiveness? You could caution him and tighten your security. But you bundled a man who had looked after that building and premises for you from 2018 to April 2025, locked him up, and took him to court,” he said, expressing disappointment.

Martin further alleged that Apostle Chikere bribed law enforcement officers handling the case, naming the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) as Ocheje Chris Oigoga of Area ‘J’ Police Command Headquarters, Elemoro Town, Ibeju-Lekki.

Martin said he personally contacted the IPO to plead for Alfred’s release, only to be told that Apostle Chikere was issuing instructions on the matter.

“I called him recently and begged him. I asked how we could help the boy get out. He said, ‘Because you are madam’s husband, I listened to you.’ He said madam was giving them instructions and that I should look for Alfred’s relatives to come and sign an undertaking that Alfred would never sue madam for wrongful detention if he was released," Martin said.

“I agreed because the boy is poor.”

Martin described Alfred’s background as one marked by poverty, saying his father, a retired security officer from a riverine community, lacks the resources to fight the case.

“I agreed to look for his family because the young man is poor. His father is from a riverine area and is very poor. He is a retired sergeant or something like that. But we have not been able to locate his family,” he said.

Despite the undertaking request, Martin said that Alfred was still taken to court, with the case repeatedly adjourned. Alfred was remanded in Ikoyi Prison.

"They took him to court. She bribed the magistrate or whoever it was. They sent packages. They kept adjourning his case," he said.

Martin said Alfred occasionally gains access to a phone in prison and uses the opportunity to beg Apostle Chikere for mercy.

“Whenever he gets access to a phone, he calls people, begging her, saying, ‘Please, mummy, mummy, I’m your son, forgive me,” Martin said.

He warned that Alfred’s case may be just one of many similar incidents involving poor and voiceless Nigerians allegedly trapped in the criminal justice system through abuse of power and influence.

“Can you imagine how many other people are languishing in jail that nobody knows about?” Martin asked. “Chikere is evil. She is very wicked.”

When SaharaReporters contacted Apostle Chikere for a reaction, she said, “I will get back to you.”

However, she did not do so, and subsequent attempts to reach her were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, all efforts to reach the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in charge of Alfred’s case, Ocheje Chris Oigoga of Area ‘J’ Police Command Headquarters, Elemoro Town, Ibeju-Lekki, were unsuccessful, as he did not answer his calls or respond to messages sent to him.