Pastor Helen Ukpabio demands ₦200 billion from singer Bloody Civilian, accusing her of defamation over social media claims about child abuse.

Popular Nigerian pastor Helen Ukpabio, founder of Liberty Gospel Church, has demanded ₦200 billion in damages from singer Bloody Civilian for alleged defamation.

The controversy erupted after the artist accused the pastor of promoting practices that led to child abuse, sparking a heated exchange on social media.

The conflict began when Bloody Civilian, in response to a post celebrating Ukpabio’s 60th birthday on X (formerly Twitter), accused the cleric of “literally making people burn their children alive.”

She also shared a critical YouTube documentary scrutinising Ukpabio’s methods and ideologies.

Imabong, Ukpabio’s daughter, swiftly reacted, threatening legal action unless the singer deleted the post. “I give you the next five hours to take this down, or I will educate you in court!” Imabong wrote.

Ukpabio escalated the matter through her legal representatives, describing the allegations as “reckless, satanic, and libellous.”

The pastor demanded a public apology on all social media platforms and in ten national and international newspapers within 72 hours. She also sought ₦200 billion as compensation for “distress, trauma, pain, and anguish.”

In the legal notice, Ukpabio stated the allegations had been investigated by the police and were determined to be “grossly false.”

“Our client’s attention has been drawn to your reckless, satanic, and libellous posts on X (formerly Twitter), one of the world’s largest social media platforms,” the letter reads.

Bloody Civilian, however, responded with a dismissive tone. In a tongue-in-cheek tweet, she joked about taking on weddings, stand-up comedy, and dispute resolution services to afford the requested damages.

The exchange has drawn widespread attention, with opinions divided. Supporters of Bloody Civilian have called for scrutiny of Ukpabio’s past controversies, while others have defended the pastor, citing her philanthropic and religious work.