The Nigeria Police Force has released Nollywood actress Doris Ogala in Lagos following her controversial rearrest in Abuja, a development that came amid growing public scrutiny and intervention by civil rights activists.
Ogala, who had earlier been granted bail, was reportedly re-arrested in the Federal Capital Territory and subsequently flown to Lagos by operatives attached to the Zone 2 Police Command, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The situation escalated when her legal counsel, Marshal Abubakar, allegedly attempted to document the operation. Sources said the lawyer was assaulted by police officers, who confiscated his mobile phones before escorting him and the actress onto a flight to Lagos.
Ogala eventually regained her freedom following the intervention of the Take It Back (TIB) Movement, with its national coordinator, Jamiu Towolawi, popularly known as Jharmo, standing as surety for her bail.
A source at the Zone 2 Command told SaharaReporters that Towolawi arrived at the facility demanding Ogala’s immediate release, citing procedural irregularities surrounding her arrest.
In a notable twist, Pastor Chris Okafor, founder of the Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministries, also known as Grace Nation Liberation City, reportedly arrived at the command and held a private meeting with the actress.
According to sources, the cleric appealed for reconciliation and urged Ogala to embrace peace in order to de-escalate the dispute that led to her arrest.
“Pastor Okafor pleaded with her to allow peace to prevail,” the source said, adding that the closed-door meeting lasted nearly an hour.
Following the meeting, police reportedly released Ogala on what they described as “health grounds,” with Towolawi acting as her guarantor. Phones earlier seized from Ogala and her lawyer were also returned, though officers allegedly requested that a video of the arrest be deleted.
The request was reportedly rejected by the TIB coordinator, after which Ogala was allowed to leave without further conditions.
The incident followed Ogala’s dramatic arrest on Saturday during a live-streamed interview, which abruptly ended after the host asked whether police officers were present at her residence — a question Ogala confirmed moments before the broadcast cut off.
The arrest is linked to a widening controversy between the actress and Pastor Okafor, whom she has accused of breach of a promise to marry.
Days earlier, Ogala had shared — and later deleted — a post allegedly showing the cleric in a private bedroom setting, claiming it was evidence of his conduct and warning that a video would be released.
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In a parallel legal move, Ogala, through her lawyers at Synergy Law Partners, issued a demand letter dated December 16, 2025, seeking ₦1 billion in aggravated damages from the pastor.
The letter alleged that Pastor Okafor made a “clear, consistent and unequivocal” promise to marry Ogala, a relationship said to have begun in 2017 when she sought pastoral counselling during a period of emotional vulnerability.
According to her lawyers, the promise was reinforced through introductions to the pastor’s family, shared family engagements, and conduct that created a legitimate expectation of marriage.
They further claimed that Ogala relied on the promise to her detriment, including exiting a troubled marriage and entrusting the cleric with ₦45 million, alongside access to her finances.
While acknowledging that marriage cannot be legally compelled, the lawyers maintained that Nigerian law provides remedies for breach of promise and associated damages.
They warned that failure to meet the ₦1 billion demand within 21 days would result in legal action before a court of competent jurisdiction.