LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- Founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, has sparked online reactions after urging his congregants to give his phone number to abductors if they ever find themselves in dangerous situations.
The clergy delivered the striking message during a recent church service.
He urged his members to be fearless if they ever get kidnapped, adding that they should give their captors his phone number when they demand for ransom.
The statement, captured in a video that has now gone viral, came as the cleric testified of God’s power during a reflection on past incidents involving members of his ministry who were reportedly abducted.
Bishop Oyedepo recalled a case involving a pastor linked to his church.
He claimed the pastor gave the abductors his phone number, and after he was called, he gave them a 24-hour ultimatum to release his spiritual son or face death.
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“One time one of our pastor was carried by kidnappers, I said give them the phone and told them in 24 hours if you don’t check him out you are dead. The place was vibrating on a spot and he was released,” he said, linking his release to divine intervention.
He also spoke about his confidence in divine authority, insisting that members should stay calm in threatening situations.
Reinforcing his stance with another bold declaration, the Bishop added, “If anybody picks you, give them my number. If he is not cut down then I am not God sent.”
The clergyman shared another testimony involving a woman he described as his daughter in the faith. She reportedly boasted of God’s power through the Bishop’s mandate, telling her abductors she would be freed by a specific time, even without direct communication with him.
“Another time one of those my daughter was captured somewhere and she told them my father said I am getting out of here latest 7am. And I didn’t even speak with them, that was how they started cutting themselves and told her to start going,” he said.
The cleric used these accounts to encourage Christians to remain bold despite growing security concerns. He stressed that fear should not control believers, urging them to live by faith and believe in divine protection during difficult moments.
