Church Leaders Decry Clamping Down on Speech rather than on Crime
By Onibiyo Segun
(Agboda, Nasarawa state) The evening of November 25, 2025, had begun like any other revival night in Agboda village, Mararaba Udege region, Nasarawa county, Nasarawa state, North Central Nigeria, where evangelist Dr. Daniel Ukpo was holding a Christian crusade. Midway into the worship, screams erupted at the rear of the field. Worshippers scattered as Ukpo pulled out his phone and filmed the chaos, footage that would later set off a heated public dispute across Nasarawa State.
The moment the clip hit social media, commenters claimed “herdsmen invaded the crusade,” though Ukpo himself did not make that claim. Several Plateau and Nasarawa online communities shared the video, adding their own captions and interpretations.
Eyewitness Accounts from the Crusade
An attendee of the crusade, Mrs. Sarah Oche, Agboda village told TruthNigeria, “We were worshipping when people from the back started shouting, ‘They have attacked the road!’ I grabbed my son and ran. Nobody waited to confirm anything.”
Mr. Jonah Alaku, farmer, Udege Loko also told TruthNigeria, “Here, once you hear ‘attack,’ you don’t wait. We have seen killings and ambushes by these Fulani terrorists before. Fear controls people.”
Miss Dooshima Tyolumun, choir member added, “Pastor Ukpo recorded because he wanted authorities to know something was wrong. Now he’s the one being detained. It’s heartbreaking.”
Police Counter-Narrative and Ukpo’s Detention
Two days later, the Nasarawa State Police Command issued a rebuttal. According to the command, there was no herdsmen attack; the video captured panic triggered by a robbery incident, which had already been reported locally. Police described the viral clip as “misleading” and announced that Dr. Ukpo was in custody, having “admitted to misrepresenting the situation.”
The police warning urged religious leaders to avoid publishing “inciting content.” But instead of quelling debate, the announcement intensified suspicion among residents who believe fear in the area is grounded in real and repeated violence.
The uproar over Dr. Daniel Ukpo’s video has produced two sharply opposing narratives, one driven by villagers’ experience-based fear, the other by law-enforcement insistence that the event was misrepresented. The continued detention of the evangelist has deepened resentment in a region where residents say security agencies routinely downplay attacks while punishing those who raise alarms.
Speaking to TruthNigeria, Dr. Samuel Owoicho Adagba, an Abuja-based public affairs analyst and senior research fellow at the Centre for Civic Security Studies, who viewed the case as symptomatic of Nigeria’s wider crisis of trust.
Dr. Adagba said, “The police may be correct about the robbery, but detaining a man who raised an alarm is terrible optics. It sends a message that citizens should stay silent even in danger. Government credibility collapses when fear is criminalized.”
Dr. Adagba added, “For years, villagers in the Middle Belt have faced real attacks. Their fear is not imagined. Until authorities embrace transparency, publish full findings, and treat all communities equally, distrust will only grow.”
He urged the police to release an unambiguous update on Ukpo’s status to avoid further tension.
DSS Denial Complicates the Case
As speculation swirled that the DSS had arrested the evangelist, the agency issued a public denial, claiming no involvement. Several national newspapers echoed this correction, leaving the public with conflicting stories: the police admit Ukpo is in custody; the DSS says “not us”; and community leaders insist Ukpo was taken without proper explanation.
As of November 27, Ukpo remains detained at the State CID in Lafia, without charge, according to his church leaders and villagers.
Church Leadership Speaks to TruthNigeria
Evangelist Ibrahim Dikko told TruthNigeria, “Dr. Ukpo Daniel remains unjustly detained at the Nasarawa State Police Criminal Investigation Department – CID despite community witnesses, the village chief, and the robbery victim confirming there was indeed an attack near the crusade ground that caused the panic he filmed.
“I am aware Muslim officers forced Ukpo to delete the video and pressured him to record another denying the incident, and a Muslim Department of State Security DSS director escalated the case by accusing Christian ministers of spreading “genocide propaganda,” leading to Ukpo’s continued detention instead of release after investigation.”
Evangelist Dikko calls the situation a “grave injustice,” and said he is appealing to the Nasarawa State Governor and Police Commissioner for intervention. Dikko notes that Ukpo’s wife is devastated as he has committed no crime.
Pastor (Dr.) Emmanuel Oloriegbe, Senior Pastor said, “Daniel acted out of fear, not malice. Criminalizing him while robbers are free is injustice. We demand a transparent investigation.”
“His family has been denied full access. If recording a moment of panic becomes grounds for detention, then the rural church is unsafe,” according to Pastor Charity Ebune, Head of Women’s Ministry, to TruthNigeria.
For Ukpo’s denomination, the case goes beyond a misinterpreted video; it reflects an atmosphere where Christians feel blamed for raising alarms about legitimate threats.
Villagers Fear the Worst
TruthNigeria coverage throughout the year shows that communities in northern Nasarawa and southern Plateau have faced multiple attacks from armed Fulani militias, many of them linked by residents to Fulani herders.
These incidents help explain why a robbery easily triggered mass fear at a church crusade.
Apostle Michael Olowookere, in a video widely circulated on social media, condemned Ukpo’s detention, “Is it now a crime to report danger? Why arrest a man who alerted the public?”
Chaplain Daniel Joe Alimi urged caution but called for full disclosure from the police.
Onibiyo Segun reports on terrorism and conflicts for TruthNigeria.
