Gospel singer and evangelist Tope Alabi has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Canada-based pastor Tayo Kumuyi to withdraw and apologise for social media publications allegedly linking her to the death of fellow gospel minister Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji, popularly known as Toluwanisings, warning that failure to comply could trigger court proceedings and complaints to law-enforcement authorities.
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The demand was contained in a cease-and-desist letter dated October 24, 2026, issued by Alabi’s solicitors, Oakmount Legal Practitioners, against Kumuyi, who operates the Facebook page Pastor Tayo Ministries.
The latest legal move came barely a day after Alabi’s lawyers issued a broader public notice warning individuals, social media users and publishers against circulating what they described as false, misleading and defamatory statements concerning the singer.
In the October 24 letter, signed by Toluwanimi Okunade, the lawyers alleged that between October 20 and October 24, publications on Pastor Tayo Ministries accused Alabi of involvement in murder and ritual killing and sought to link her to the deaths of Toluwanisings and other gospel ministers.
Alabi has strongly denied the allegations through her lawyers, who described them as false, damaging and unsupported by evidence.
The solicitors maintained that their client had no involvement whatsoever in the death of Toluwanisings or any other person and noted that she had publicly and privately mourned the late gospel minister following his death.
They demanded the immediate removal of the disputed posts, live videos and any other publications under Kumuyi’s control repeating the allegations against Alabi.
The lawyers also demanded a complete retraction and an unreserved public apology, which they said should be published prominently and pinned on the Pastor Tayo Ministries Facebook page for 14 days.
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They warned Kumuyi to cease further publication or dissemination of the allegations, whether directly or through anyone acting on his behalf.
The lawyers also addressed any attempt to characterise the controversial publications as spiritual messages, revelations or religious pronouncements.
According to them, framing accusations of criminal conduct as spiritual revelations would not automatically protect a publisher from potential legal liability where the statements were capable of damaging another person’s reputation.
They further argued that Kumuyi’s residence in Canada would not, by itself, prevent legal action over publications accessible to and allegedly damaging Alabi’s reputation among audiences in Nigeria.
The letter also referred to a subsequent message allegedly published on the Pastor Tayo Ministries page and directed at the gospel singer, stating: “Tope Alabi, no letter will save you from my hand.”
Alabi’s lawyers said the publication would be preserved and relied upon as evidence in any legal proceedings or complaints arising from the dispute.
The solicitors warned that if Kumuyi failed to meet their demands within 24 hours, they had instructions to institute proceedings seeking declaratory and injunctive reliefs, damages and legal costs.
They also threatened to lodge complaints with Meta Platforms, the operator of Facebook, and refer appropriate aspects of the matter to law-enforcement agencies.
Alabi subsequently shared the cease-and-desist letter on her Instagram account and tagged the Nigeria Police Force.
The October 24 ultimatum followed another legal warning issued by Oakmount Legal Practitioners on October 23 titled, “Caution Against False And Defamatory Publications Concerning Evangelist Tope Alabi.”
In that public notice, the firm identified its client by her full name, Evangelist Patricia Temitope Alabi, professionally known as Tope Alabi, describing her as a gospel minister, recording artist, songwriter, actress and public figure of national and international repute.
Her lawyers said Alabi had spent almost 30 years building what they described as a reputation founded on integrity, honour and public trust across her personal, professional and spiritual life.
They maintained that her reputation constituted a valuable personal and professional asset protected by law.
The solicitors said it had come to Alabi’s attention that false, misleading and injurious statements concerning her had been, and could continue to be, circulated through print, broadcast, online platforms and word of mouth.
The notice warned that anyone who, without lawful justification, publishes statements concerning Alabi that are false, malicious or calculated to injure her reputation could face legal proceedings, subject to the facts and applicable legal defences.
It stated that allegedly defamatory publications could take the form of written material, images, videos, audio recordings and social media posts, as well as spoken statements made through broadcasts, interviews, podcasts, livestreams or voice notes.
Her lawyers also warned that potential liability may, depending on the circumstances and applicable legal defences, extend beyond an original publisher to persons who repeat, republish, repost, share, forward or otherwise amplify an actionable publication.
They further cautioned that operating through an anonymous, pseudonymous or unverified account would not necessarily provide immunity.
Where permitted by law, Alabi reserved the right to approach the courts for orders aimed at identifying persons behind anonymous accounts, including through relevant online platforms, hosting companies or service providers.
The October 23 notice also demanded that anyone who had already published material considered false and defamatory should remove it immediately and desist from further publication.
It added that deleting a publication would not necessarily eliminate potential liability arising from its original publication.
The lawyers said Alabi had instructed them to institute proceedings, where appropriate, against persons whose conduct gave rise to actionable claims without further notice.
The reliefs contemplated include general damages and, where legally available and supported by evidence, aggravated or exemplary damages; injunctions against further publication; retractions; unreserved public apologies; legal costs; and other remedies a court may consider appropriate.
The solicitors nevertheless made clear that the warning was not intended to prevent truthful publications, fair comment on matters of public interest or the lawful exercise of freedom of expression.
The legal confrontation followed the death of Toluwanisings, whose full name was Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji.
The gospel singer died in the early hours of October 14, 2026, at the age of 41.
His family confirmed his death but did not announce its cause.
His personal assistant subsequently said Toluwanisings had slumped at his home in Ibadan and was taken to several hospitals.
No official medical cause of death has been publicly established by his family.
Following the news, Alabi publicly mourned Toluwanisings, describing his death as a “big shock.”
She later shared a personal tribute in which she said she was still struggling to process his passing.
It was against that background that the social media publications allegedly linking Alabi to the singer’s death emerged, prompting the October 23 general warning and the more specific October 24 cease-and-desist letter directed at Kumuyi and Pastor Tayo Ministries.
At the time the legal threat was made public, no court action arising from the 24-hour ultimatum had been confirmed as filed.
There had also been no publicly established evidence linking Alabi to the cause of Toluwanisings’ death, while the late singer’s family had not announced any official cause of death.
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