The Nigeria Police Force has released Nollywood actress Doris Ogala in Lagos after she was rearrested in Abuja shortly after securing bail, SaharaReporters has learned.
Ogala was reportedly brought to Lagos by operatives attached to the Zone 2 Command, Onikan, following her arrest in the Federal Capital Territory.
Sources disclosed that the situation escalated when Ogala’s lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, attempted to document the police action. He was allegedly assaulted by officers, who seized his phones before escorting both him and the actress onto a flight to Lagos.
The actress eventually regained her freedom after a coordinator of the Take It Back (TIB) Movement, Jamiu Towolawi, popularly known as Jharmo, stood as her surety and secured her bail.
Following her release, Pastor Chris Okafor of the Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministries, also known as Grace Nation Liberation City, reportedly met privately with Ogala and appealed for reconciliation.
A source familiar with the development told SaharaReporters that Towolawi arrived at the Zone 2 Command on Monday and demanded Ogala’s immediate release.
“Pastor Chris Okafor, who was at the centre of the controversy and arrest, later arrived at Onikan and pleaded with her to allow peace to reign,” the source said. “It was obvious the arrest was meant to intimidate her, but when it became clear she would not back down, the pastor fell on his knees and begged.”
According to the source, Okafor spent nearly an hour in a closed-door meeting with the actress in a secluded location without third parties present.
“After the meeting, the police released her on ‘health grounds,’ with Jharmo serving as surety,” the source added.
The police also returned the two phones earlier seized from Ogala and her lawyer. Officers reportedly requested that a video of the arrest be deleted, citing inability to access the phones. However, the condition was rejected by the TIB coordinator, after which Ogala was allowed to leave without further demands.
Background
Ogala’s arrest followed a public and highly contentious dispute with Pastor Okafor over an alleged broken promise to marry her.
On Saturday, the actress was arrested while granting a live-streamed interview. The moment unfolded on air when the host abruptly asked, “The police are in your house?” to which Ogala replied, “Yes, the police are in my house.”
Days earlier, Ogala had accused Pastor Okafor of reneging on a marriage commitment. On Friday, she shared — and later deleted — a post allegedly showing the cleric in a private bedroom, topless and wrapped in a towel. She claimed the image was taken shortly after he engaged in sex and warned that she would release the full video.
Last week, Ogala, through her lawyers, Synergy Law Partners, issued a formal demand letter dated December 16, 2025, seeking ₦1 billion in aggravated damages from the pastor.
The letter accused Okafor of breaching a “clear, consistent and unequivocal” promise to marry her — a commitment her legal team said formed the basis of a relationship that allegedly began in 2017.
The lawyers warned that legal action would commence if the cleric failed to meet the demands within 21 days.
