The Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, David Oyedepo, has sparked widespread discussion after revealing a dramatic encounter involving a kidnapped pastor. According to Oyedepo, he instructed the abducted pastor to hand his phone to the kidnappers, then warned them directly that they would die within hours if the pastor was not released.
Speaking during a sermon at Canaanland in Ogun State, Oyedepo emphasized the spiritual authority that believers hold over adversity, including threats such as insecurity. Recounting the incident, he said, One time, one of our pastors was taken by kidnappers. I told him, Give them the phone, and I said to the kidnappers, In 24 hours, if you don’t let him go, you are dead. The place became tense immediately.
He added, If anyone ever kidnaps you, give them my number. If they don’t release you, and nothing happens to them, then I am not sent by God.
Oyedepo reported that the pastor was eventually released, attributing the outcome to divine intervention and the exercise of spiritual authority. He used the testimony to urge church members to recognize the power inherent in their faith, stating that believers frequently underestimate their spiritual capacity.
You don’t know your worth and you are begging. You carry the same force if you can only discover it. Redemption is not a religious principle, he said.
Oyedepo also recounted the story of a female church member who was abducted but declared her release by faith, as he had taught. According to him, she told her captors, “My father said I’m getting out of here by 7am.” The kidnappers, reportedly unsettled, eventually released her.
He highlighted these experiences as evidence of the supremacy of spiritual authority over what he described as the forces of darkness, encouraging Christians not to be ruled by fear.
Don’t let the devil ride on you. You have been raised far above the devil, Oyedepo declared. “If the church does not conquer these devils, God has left heaven.
These remarks come amid ongoing security challenges in Nigeria, where kidnapping for ransom remains a serious concern.
