Nigerian gospel singer Tope Alabi has threatened legal action against a Canada-based pastor over social media publications allegedly accusing her of involvement in the death of fellow gospel minister Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji, popularly known as Toluwanisings.
Alabi’s solicitors, Oakmount Legal Practitioners, issued a cease-and-desist letter dated October 24, 2026, demanding that the operator of the Facebook page Pastor Tayo Ministries remove the disputed publications, retract the allegations and issue a public apology within 24 hours.
The letter, signed by Toluwanimi Okunade on behalf of the law firm, was titled “Cease and Desist: Malicious and Defamatory Publications and Threats Against Our Client”. It described the notice as a final demand for the immediate removal of the posts, a retraction and an apology.
According to the legal document, publications allegedly made between October 20 and 24 linked Alabi to murder and ritual killing, including claims concerning the deaths of gospel ministers. The solicitors rejected the allegations, describing them as false and challenging the page operator to provide evidence to support the claims.
“These statements accuse our client of murder and of ritual killing. There is no more serious allegation that can be made against a person, least of all a minister of the gospel. They are false in every particular,” the letter stated.
The lawyers further argued that the allegations were unsupported by any official investigation or judicial finding.
“You have produced no evidence, because none exists. No investigation, police finding or court decision supports a word of them,” they wrote.
Defending their client, the solicitors said Alabi had publicly and privately mourned Toluwanisings following his death and had no involvement in his death or that of any other person.
The letter also accused the Facebook page operator of using public grief surrounding the late singer’s death to spread damaging allegations against Alabi.
The lawyers described the publications as deliberate and malicious, rejecting the suggestion that presenting them as spiritual revelations or religious opinions would automatically protect them from legal consequences.
They also expressed concern about the reach of the disputed posts, claiming that the publications had attracted hundreds of reactions, comments and shares. According to the letter, some comments suggested that readers were accepting the allegations as true.
The solicitors further cited a subsequent post allegedly directed at Alabi after she issued a public notice warning against defamation on October 23.
Quoting the post, the lawyers said: “Tope Alabi, no letter will save you from my hand. Your only option is leaving your hiding place.”
They interpreted the statement as a threat of harm rather than a response to the legal notice, arguing that it indicated an intention to continue the alleged conduct.
The legal notice stated that the disputed publications could constitute actionable libel under the applicable law because they allegedly attributed serious criminal conduct to Alabi and could damage her reputation, professional standing and ministry.
Addressing the reported residence of the Facebook page operator in Canada, the solicitors argued that publishing the allegations from outside Nigeria would not necessarily prevent legal proceedings, particularly because the posts allegedly concerned a Nigerian public figure and were circulated among an audience in Nigeria.
The lawyers demanded that the recipient remove the disputed publications, stop making or circulating the allegations, withdraw requests for other users to share them and refrain from statements they considered threatening or harassing.
They also directed the recipient to preserve all relevant evidence, including posts, recordings, messages, drafts and available account records.
“Removal from public view must not involve the destruction or alteration of evidence,” the letter stated.
In addition to removing the posts, the solicitors demanded an unreserved retraction and apology on the same Facebook page. They requested that the apology remain pinned for 14 consecutive days and receive prominence reasonably equivalent to that of the original publications.
The recipient was also asked to provide the factual basis and supporting material for any allegations maintained, and to clarify whether the claims had been reported to the Nigeria Police Force or another competent authority.
The lawyers warned that failure to comply within 24 hours could lead to court proceedings seeking declaratory and injunctive relief, damages and costs. Other possible measures listed in the letter included applications for interim court orders where legally justified, complaints to Meta Platforms and referrals of the alleged threats to law enforcement.
The notice also stated that Alabi reserved the right to seek general damages and, where justified by the evidence, aggravated or exemplary damages, alongside legal costs and other remedies available under the law.
However, the solicitors clarified that their demands were not intended to prevent legitimate journalism, lawful investigations or protected commentary.
“Nothing in this letter is intended to prevent truthful reporting, lawful investigation or legitimate commentary protected by law,” the letter stated.
Toluwanisings, whose real name was Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji, died on October 14, 2026, at the age of 41. Alabi had publicly mourned the gospel minister following his death.
