Nollywood actress, Halima Abubakar, has tendered an unreserved apology to Apostle Johnson Suleman, the general overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International, for defamation.
In 2022, the Nollywood star claimed on social media that she and Apostle Suleman had a romantic relationship, which led to threats of legal action from Suleman due to “defamatory statements”.
The allegations escalated in 2023 with Halima alleging she got pregnant thrice for the cleric.
In April, a federal high court in Abuja ordered Halima to pay N10 million in damages to Apostle Suleman for defamation.
Halima has now taken to Instagram to apologise for her past statements, admitting they were “false and hurtful”.
The actress expressed remorse for the harm caused and sought forgiveness from Apostle Suleman and his family.
The movie star said she “was not thinking right then” and added that the apology is prompted by “deep reflections and conscience”.
“I am writing to you today to acknowledge the falsehoods I made against you on social media and to offer my sincere apology,” the letter reads.
“After deep reflections and for my conscience to be in accord with God, I have realized the depth of the harm, pains and distress caused by my lies.
“I admitted that I made false allegations against you and also regretted my actions and the damage I caused to you, your wife Dr Mrs Lizzy Suleiman, your family and the leaders of Omega Fire Ministry.
“With this letter, I humbly ask for your forgiveness, recognising that my apology cannot undo the harm, pain and distress I caused.
“I ask you to find a place in your heart to forgive me as I was not thinking right then. Sir, you have done a lot for humanity, extend your hands of forgiveness to me.”
Reacting in a social media post, Suleman requested no further intermediation, emphasizing forgiveness does not erase memories. The cleric added that his stance remains unchanged.
“You all stop calling my phone. Forgiveness is not memory loss! Status quo maintained,” he wrote on X.
Recently, Halima demanded N3 billion from the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) for suspending her from Nollywood over “professional misconduct”.