Ibiyeomie says his curses ruin lives; VeryDarkMan dares him to try
- Pastor David Ibiyeomie said anyone he curses becomes useless for life and challenged critics to check his record.
- Social media critic VeryDarkMan accused him of using fear to control church members and dared him to curse him.
- VeryDarkMan also asked the pastor to name those he has cursed and questioned a claim about giving God $1 million.
A pastor's claim that his curses can wreck a person's life has drawn a public challenge from one of Nigeria's loudest social media critics.
David Ibiyeomie, founder of Salvation Ministries, said in a sermon that anyone who crosses him is finished once he prays against them. He invited people to search social media for those he had cursed and see whether they are still thriving.
According to Daily Post, he also said his prayers can reach people in political office. "I know what to pray that the person will be useless for life," he said, adding that when he prays against such people, "that's the end."
The remarks spread quickly online, and Martins Otse, the activist known as VeryDarkMan, responded with a direct dare.
The challenge back
In a video reaction reported by Naija News, Otse asked Ibiyeomie to curse him. He said the pastor should name the people he claims to have cursed, calling him a liar for not doing so.
Otse accused some pastors of using fear and claims of supernatural power to control members. He said such tactics have been used to influence parents, especially mothers, and questioned why clerics warn members of hardship for not paying tithes and offerings.
He also invoked the Bible, saying it teaches believers to bless those who persecute them rather than curse them. "You people are not God," he said.
Otse further challenged a claim attributed to Ibiyeomie that he once gave God $1 million, asking how that was possible when, according to him, the pastor did not own a house at the time.
Ibiyeomie has not responded to the dare in the reports reviewed.
Why it matters
The exchange touches a sensitive nerve for many Nigerian worshippers: how much authority pastors hold over members' lives, and whether fear of curses or withheld blessings is used to keep them in line.
Tithe and offering messages are a recurring flashpoint in Nigerian churches, where giving is often tied to promises of blessing or warnings of hardship.
For now, the dispute is playing out on pulpits and phone screens rather than in court. It is a war of words, and no one has been accused of a crime.
