Stephanie Otobo, a budding Canada-based Nigerian singer, shot to fame in 2017 after making public her alleged affair with Apostle Suleman, the General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries (OFM).
Ms Otobo alleged at a news briefing in Lagos in 2017 that apart from frolicking with the pastor in Lagos, she had sex escapades with him in the United States and Italy.
At the event, the singer, who answered questions from journalists, shared details about what she alleged was Mr Suleman’s sex appetite, sleeping habits, how they arranged their meetings and the payments she received.
In a letter to the Lagos State Police Commissioner in February 2017, she accused Mr Suleman of illegal procurement of abortion, a threat to life, and attempted murder.
It was a messy scandal as it pitted the singer against Mr Suleman’s congregants.
Mr Suleman has since denied having a relationship with Ms Otobo.
His spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, claimed the pastor never met Ms Otobo in person nor promised to marry her.
She, however, made a U-turn saying “very strong and powerful politicians and pastors” paid her to defame him.
Her mother, Bukky, also visited Mr Suleman’s in Auchi, Edo State, where she apologised on her daughter’s behalf. In an interview, she told PREMIUM TIMES that she didn’t understand her daughter’s behaviour and hadn’t spoken to her in years.
Almost five years after the scandal broke, Ms Otobo, who now enjoys a fledgling music career in British Columbia, Canada, took her allegation spree a notch higher by releasing a diss track, ‘Apostle’, dedicated to him.
In addition, she also released a photo that she claimed was the pastor’s ‘genitals’ on a Twitter thread and said he planned to have her killed.
She also challenged him to come forward and debunk her claims while threatening to release a video.
The single hosted on the on-demand music streaming and audio discovery platform, Audiomack, has been streamed almost 37,000 times. Not surprising that it is also the most popular track in her music career, spanning nearly eight years.
The question in the mind of many remains, who is ‘Stephanie Otobo?
Who is Stephanie Otobo?
Ms Otobo, also famous as Stephanie D’ocean or Kimora, is a Nigerian-born Canada-based musician in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The singer, who began making music officially in 2016, was born in Lagos, but her family moved to Warri when she was little. She, however, spent her formative years in Delta State. Her parents are separated. Her dad lives in Warri, while her mum, a petty trader at Okirighwe market, is in Sapele.
She started and completed both her primary and secondary school education in Delta State before going to the university to continue her education.
As a young girl, Ms Otobo was very active in the church children’s choir, showcasing her talent in music and choreography.
She left Nigeria for Canada when she was 16 after a family member adopted her.
Career
Ms Otobo, 28, has a promising entertainment career that cuts across acting, songwriting and music. She starred in the movie ‘Blood Debts’ and has released several songs.
She started as a gospel singer but switched to Afrobeat for fame and wealth.
‘My Girlfriend’ was the first song she produced using Kimora as her stage name in Nigeria.
She has some singles, including ‘Gimme Dat’, ‘Bossed Up’, ‘Around’, ‘Not Nigeria’, ‘My Icecream’ and ‘Holy’.
The singer is undoubtedly an irresistible black beauty.
However, Ms Otobo also released a gospel in April 2017 titled ‘I Depend on You” the song video was released two days after her appearance in court during the heat of the infamous sex scandal.
Aside from ‘Apostle’, another famous track is ‘Snapback’, released in May 2020.
Her music career began on a shaky note as she had to move from Toronto, Canada, to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to make a mark. She struggled to find a way out and stand on her feet as a musician.
She stopped working, quit school and even attended a beauty school for a couple of months.
Mr Suleman described her as ‘‘a stripper that danced unclad at nightclubs’ in an official statement in 2017’’, a claim the singer refutes.
Her Youtube channel, ‘Snapback’, where she shares her experiences in life, houses over 715 subscribers and has five videos.
Interestingly, the video for the Apostle song was released a month ago but did not get any traction until she shared the audio mark link on Twitter on Monday.
Travails
Ms Otobo was arrested on March 3 at a United Bank of Africa branch in Lagos. She and Wisdom Godstime were arraigned for intent to steal and blackmail Mr Suleman.
The accused persons were charged with three counts of conspiracy, blackmail and threat to life.
M.A Animashaun, the prosecutor, told the court that the defendants and others at large committed the alleged offence on February 14, 2017, at about 10:30 at Police College, Ikeja, Lagos.
He said the defendants unlawfully demanded $1 million from Mr Suleman and threatened to call a press conference to accuse him of committing adultery and having an illicit relationship with Ms Otobo and subsequently kill him.
According to the prosecutor, the offences committed are punishable under sections 411, 301 and 303 of the criminal law of Lagos State 2015.
In a 2017 interview with The Sun, the singer said her travails in prison inspired her gospel track.
‘‘It was the fear and terror I lived through while in jail in Kirikiri prison. I live in Canada, and if I were a thief, I would expect to go to jail one day. If I were a killer, I would expect to go to jail one day. I have never done anything that would make me think that I could ever go to jail.
“So, going to jail in Nigeria was terror. My father came out to say some things about me when I was in prison. Even though he couldn’t do anything to help me, knowing that I had his support meant everything to me. The experience in prison made me ask God for mercy, and His help to scale through. Everything I have gone through has brought shame and disgrace to my family and me, but I am better now because Jesus Christ died for them.’’
Meeting Apostle Suleman
In an interview with TVC News in March 2017, Ms Otobo said she met Mr Suleman through a friend who sings in his church choir.
She said she sought counsel from him about marriage and relationships.
The singer said that she flew from Vancouver, a city in Canada where she used to live, to Toronto for Mr Suleman’s three-day program but couldn’t meet the pastor due to this busy schedule.
She got his direct contact from her friend in his choir and reached out to him.
According to her, Mr Suleman got too comfortable with her, and he did not waste any time to tell how much he liked her.
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