The General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman, showed up at the office of the Department of State Security (DSS) last Monday.
His invitation by the DSS followed inciting comments he made during a sermon.
Suleman had asked church members to kill Fulani herdsmen.
In a video that went viral, Apostle Suleman commanded his audience to go rogue with the following words:
"I told my people that any Fulani herdsman you see around you, kill him. I have told them in the Church here, around this premises, that any Fulani herdsman that just enters by mistake and wants to pretend, kill him...kill him!!! Cut his head!!!
"If they are busy killing Christians and nothing is happening, we will kill them and nothing will happen".
For his inciting and hate comments, Suleman was invited to make an appearance at the DSS office in Abuja on Monday, January 30, 2017.
That appointment between DSS and Suleman which was initially billed for 10am, would hold at 8pm, same day.
Sources at the DSS told Pulse that the appointment was delayed at the behest of the security agencies in order to avoid drawing a crowd to the DSS office.
There were earlier reports that two State Governors accompanied Suleman to the DSS office, but Pulse has been unable to independently verify those.
Sources at the DSS office have told Pulse that Suleman was asked to watch his utterances henceforth.
"We reminded him that he commands a huge following and some persons could take his comments literally", said a DSS source who craved anonymity for this story because he had not been authorised to comment on the subject.
"We also told him that some persons could take the laws into their hands based on his comments. It was a peaceful meeting and the Pastor agreed with most of what we said. It wasn't an interrogation. It was an interaction".
The DSS source also told Pulse that Suleman admitted to making the comments in self defence.
"He told us that information made available to him indicated that Fulani herdsmen were planning to attack his Church. He said he was frustrated that the government didn't seem to be doing enough to ward off the incessant attacks from the herdsmen around Southern Kaduna.
"We just told him to be careful because his followers cut across Christianity and Islam. It was a heart-to-heart session".
After the meeting, Apostle Suleman praised the DSS for their professionalism.
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Speaking through his media aide Phrank Shuaibu, Suleman said: "It was a friendly interview that was devoid of any rancour. We need to commend the DSS operatives because they exhibited the highest degree of professionalism during the interview".
The DSS first moved to interrogate Suleman on January 25 in Ekiti.
The Pastor was holding a crusade in the Southwest State.
However, Suleman called State Governor Ayodele Fayose over to intervene in the standoff between himself and the DSS.
Apostle Suleman had promised to burn down Nigeria and its embassies in 42 countries if he spends a day in security custody.
Courtesy of Pulse.ng
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