Nigerian Nollywood actress and member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Ms. Doris Ogala, has formally demanded ₦1,000,000,000 in damages from a Lagos-based Christian cleric, Pastor Chris Okafor, over an alleged breach of promise to marry.
The demand was conveyed in a legal letter dated Tuesday, 16 December 2025, written by her lawyers, Synergy Law Partners, and addressed to Pastor Okafor at his residence in Ojodu Berger, a major suburb in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital. The letter warned that legal action would commence if the cleric failed to respond or comply within twenty one days.
Okay News reports that the legal action stems from what the actress described as a long-standing personal relationship that began in 2017, during a period when she was experiencing emotional distress and seeking pastoral guidance.
According to the lawyers, Pastor Chris Okafor, who is the founder and senior pastor of Grace Nation Liberation City, a Pentecostal Christian ministry headquartered in Lagos, made what they described as a “clear, consistent and unequivocal” promise to marry Ogala. They argued that the promise went beyond verbal assurances and was reinforced through conduct.
The letter stated that Ogala was allegedly introduced to members of the cleric’s family and attended family functions publicly with him, actions her lawyers said created a legitimate expectation of marriage. They also claimed that photographs, videos, WhatsApp messages, and banking records exist to support her claims.
Her legal team further alleged that Ogala relied heavily on the promise, taking what they described as “irreversible steps” in her personal life. Among these steps, they claimed, was her decision to exit a troubled marriage and abandon any possibility of reconciliation, believing that a new marital union was secured.
In addition to emotional reliance, the actress alleged significant financial loss. The letter claimed that Ogala transferred ₦45,000,000 to Pastor Okafor in a single transaction and granted him access to aspects of her financial affairs, based on trust arising from the relationship and the alleged promise of marriage.
The dispute reportedly escalated when Pastor Okafor publicly announced his engagement to another woman, an action the lawyers described as a clear repudiation of the alleged promise. They argued that the announcement caused severe emotional distress and reputational damage to Ogala, who is a public figure in Nigeria’s film industry.
The lawyers also alleged that Ogala has since been subjected to intense online harassment, public ridicule, and victim-shaming, which they attributed to the fallout from the announcement. They further accused the cleric of responsibility for the unauthorised circulation of private photographs, an allegation to which Pastor Okafor has not publicly responded as of Thursday, 18 December 2025.
While acknowledging that marriage cannot be forced under the law, Ogala’s legal team argued that Nigerian law provides remedies for breach of promise and aggravated harm. On that basis, they demanded ₦1,000,000,000 as general and aggravated damages.
The letter gave Pastor Okafor twenty one days to settle the claim, failing which the matter would be taken before a court of competent jurisdiction. Attempts to obtain comments from Pastor Okafor or his legal representatives were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
