Apostle Johnson Suleman, Senior Pastor and General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International, has responded to Nollywood actress Halima Abubakar’s public apology for her defamatory comments, asserting that forgiveness does not equate to memory loss.

In a terse statement on X.com on Wednesday, Suleman said, “You all stop calling my phone. Forgiveness is not memory loss! Status quo maintained!”

The statement comes after Abubakar issued a public apology to Suleman for her defamatory remarks against him.

In a statement shared on her Instagram account, Abubakar admitted that her past statements were “false and hurtful.”

The actress expressed regret for the pain she inflicted with the allegations while pleading for forgiveness from Apostle Suleman and his family.

She stated that her actions were due to poor judgment at the time, adding that the apology was motivated by “deep reflection and conscience.”

Abubakar had alleged on social media in 2022 that she had a romantic relationship with Suleman, prompting threats of legal action from the cleric over “defamatory statements.”

The controversy intensified in 2023 when the actress claimed she had been pregnant three times with Suleman’s child.

A Federal Capital Territory High Court had in April ordered Abubakar to pay N10 million in damages for publishing derogatory comments against Suleman.

The court also restrained her from further publishing defamatory statements against the cleric.

The judge also ordered Abubakar to publish a retraction of her defamatory statements on her Instagram handle #Halimabubakar. (The PUNCH)