Founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, David Oyedepo, has told members of his church to give abductors his phone number if they are kidnapped, saying he has the spiritual authority to secure their release.
He made the remark during a recent service at the church’s Canaanland headquarters in Ota, in a sermon clip that circulated widely on social media.
“If anybody picks you, give them my number, give them my number,” he said.
Oyedepo backed his statement with testimonies he described as past interventions involving kidnapped members of the church.
In one instance, he recounted how a pastor was abducted and he was connected directly to the kidnappers, claiming he issued a warning that led to the victim’s release.
“One time, one of our pastors was carried by, what do you call them, kidnappers.
“I said, give them the phone. I said, in 24 hours, if you don’t take him out, you are dead.
“The place was vibrating. On the spot.”
He also narrated another case involving a female member who, according to him, declared she would be freed by 7 a.m., after which her captors allegedly began harming themselves before letting her go.
“She said, ‘My father said, I’m getting out of here latest by 7 a.m.’ They didn’t call. They started cutting themselves,” he said.
The cleric further told congregants they possess similar spiritual authority, urging them to recognise and exercise it.
“You have been raised far above the devil. If the church does not conquer these devils, God has left heaven,” he said.