Popular Nigerian gospel singer Tope Alabi has given a Canada-based pastor, Tayo Kumuyi, 24 hours to withdraw allegations linking her to the death of fellow gospel artiste Toluwanisings or face legal action.
The singer, through her lawyers, denied accusations that she was involved in the death of Toluwanisings, whose real name was Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji, as well as allegations concerning the deaths of other gospel ministers.
In a cease-and-desist letter dated October 24, 2026, Alabi’s solicitors, Oakmount Legal Practitioners, demanded that Kumuyi, who operates the Facebook page Pastor Tayo Ministries, immediately remove the allegedly defamatory publications, retract the accusations, and issue a public apology.
According to the letter, the pastor allegedly published several posts between October 20 and 24 accusing Alabi of murder and ritual killing.
The accusations reportedly linked the gospel singer to Toluwanisings, who died on October 14 at the age of 41.
Alabi’s legal representatives dismissed the allegations as entirely false, maintaining that their client had no involvement in the death of Toluwanisings or any other person.
They also challenged the pastor to produce evidence supporting the accusations, insisting that no police investigation, court judgment, or official finding had established the claims.
The lawyers explained that Alabi had mourned Toluwanisings both privately and publicly following his death.
They accused Kumuyi of exploiting the grief surrounding the gospel minister’s passing to damage their client’s reputation.
The dispute reportedly escalated after Alabi issued a public notice on October 23 warning against defamatory statements concerning her.
According to her lawyers, the pastor subsequently published another message directed at the singer, allegedly warning that no legal notice would protect her from him.
The legal team described the statement as threatening and said it would form part of the evidence should Alabi proceed with legal action.
They maintained that the allegations were particularly damaging because they accused a prominent gospel minister of serious criminal offenses without providing supporting evidence.
The lawyers also rejected any suggestion that presenting the accusations as spiritual revelations protected their publication from legal consequences.
Beyond demanding the removal of the posts, Alabi’s representatives instructed the pastor to stop repeating the allegations and withdraw appeals encouraging others to circulate them.
They demanded an unconditional retraction and apology on the same Facebook page, with the apology to remain pinned for 14 consecutive days.
Kumuyi was also asked to disclose the factual basis for any allegation he intended to maintain and indicate whether he had reported the claims to the Nigeria Police Force or another competent authority.
The lawyers further directed him to preserve relevant posts, recordings, messages, and other records, warning that removing the publications should not result in the destruction of potential evidence.
Addressing the pastor’s reported residence in Canada, the legal team argued that living outside Nigeria would not automatically prevent Alabi from pursuing legal remedies.
They maintained that the disputed statements concerned a Nigerian public figure, were directed at Nigerian audiences, and had allegedly damaged her reputation in the country.
The letter warned that failure to comply within 24 hours could lead to court proceedings seeking damages, injunctions, legal costs, and other available remedies.
Alabi’s representatives also indicated that complaints could be submitted to Meta, the company operating Facebook, while the alleged threatening statements could be referred to law enforcement agencies.
The cease-and-desist letter was signed by Toluwanimi Okunade of Oakmount Legal Practitioners.
The latest development comes less than two weeks after Toluwanisings’ death, which sparked mourning among gospel music lovers and fellow ministers.
Alabi, one of Nigeria’s prominent gospel singers, had joined others in mourning the late artiste before the accusations emerged.
As of the reported legal notice, no evidence establishing Alabi’s involvement in Toluwanisings’ death had been presented, and the threatened lawsuit had not been confirmed as filed.
The pastor’s response to the latest 24-hour ultimatum was also not established in the report.
