The Abel Damina VDM Arome Osayi controversy has sparked a wider conversation about Christian doctrine, accountability and how believers respond to criticism of religious leaders. Dr. Abel Damina has challenged Christians who have reacted to the dispute with curses, threats and calls for divine judgment against social media personality VeryDarkMan (VDM), arguing that their conduct raises questions about the kind of Christianity being practised in Nigeria. In his comments on the controversy, Damina said the issue went beyond VDM and Apostle Arome Osayi, the preacher at the centre of the debate. He argued that the reactions from some Christians offered an opportunity to examine the messages being taught in churches and whether believers’ behaviour reflects the example of Jesus Christ. Source
According to Damina, Christians should be able to defend their beliefs, challenge teachings they consider false and explain their interpretation of Scripture without wishing harm on those who disagree with them.
Abel Damina on the VDM and Arome Osayi Controversy
Damina said his primary concern was not the personalities involved but what the dispute revealed about Christianity and the teachings that have shaped the responses of some believers. “This is not really about VDM. It’s about Christianity. It’s about ministers of the gospel and the kind of gospel that has been preached in Nigeria,” he said. The preacher recalled a statement attributed to Pastor Enoch Adeboye describing the Nigerian revival as “27 kilometres wide and one inch deep.”
Damina said the description came to mind as he considered the reactions to the controversy, particularly the hostility directed at VDM by some Christians defending Apostle Osayi. He questioned how attempts to defend Christ could lead believers to respond in ways that appear inconsistent with Christ’s teachings.
Damina Condemns Curses and Calls for VDM’s Destruction
A central part of Damina’s argument concerned the reported reactions from Christians who had cursed VDM, wished him death or invoked biblical passages about divine judgment against those who criticise ministers of the gospel. He questioned what kind of teaching could lead believers to respond to criticism with hatred, bitterness and a desire for another person’s destruction.
Damina referenced 1 Peter 2:21–23, which describes Christ enduring insults and suffering without retaliating. He also cited Matthew 5:44, where Jesus instructs His followers to love their enemies, bless those who curse them and pray for those who persecute them. Using these passages, Damina argued that Christians should distinguish between defending their faith and personally attacking those who question it. He also referred to Luke 9:51–56, where James and John wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan village that had rejected Jesus. In the biblical account, Jesus rebuked them.
Damina used the passage to challenge what he described as a desire among some believers to invoke destruction against people who criticise religious leaders.
‘Christianity Is Not That Fragile,’ Damina Says
Damina maintained that defending Christian doctrine does not require believers to avoid difficult questions or remain silent when they disagree with a teaching. He said Christians could challenge what they regard as false doctrine, provide biblical explanations and defend their convictions without turning disagreements into personal hostility. “We’re only saying that when somebody touches sound doctrine, we oppose. We bring clarity. We challenge falsehood. We answer questions. We defend what we believe,” he explained. He added that condemning conduct he considers wrong should not lead to cursing the person involved or praying for their misfortune. “Jesus can be interrogated. Jesus can be investigated. Christianity is not that fragile,” Damina said.
His position places emphasis on the distinction between questioning religious claims and attacking individuals, arguing that the faith should be able to withstand scrutiny and debate.
Damina Challenges the Claim of a Special Nigerian Revival Calling
The preacher also addressed the wider theological debate over whether Nigeria has a distinct divine assignment to take revival to the rest of the world. Apostle Arome Osayi’s comments about Nigeria’s spiritual calling have been a major part of the dispute, drawing responses from VDM and other commentators. Damina disagreed with the idea that the Great Commission belongs to Nigeria in a uniquely exclusive way. Referencing Ephesians 4:4, he stressed the unity of the body of Christ and argued that preaching the gospel is a responsibility shared by Christians worldwide. “The entire body of Christ has a calling to preach the gospel to every creature,” he said.
His argument was that the Christian mission should not be presented as an assignment reserved for one country when the responsibility to spread the gospel extends across the global church. The disagreement has contributed to a broader public conversation about religion, national development, the role of the church and how spiritual claims should be examined.
Damina Raises Questions About Double Standards Among Christians
Damina also questioned what he described as inconsistencies in how Christians respond when religious figures are criticised. He argued that believers should apply consistent standards when evaluating statements made by ministers and other Christian personalities, rather than reacting differently depending on whose reputation is at stake. His comments suggested that loyalty to a minister should not prevent Christians from examining claims, discussing disagreements or holding religious leaders accountable for their public teachings. The debate has also prompted wider questions about the difference between respecting religious leaders and treating criticism of them as an attack that must be met with hostility.
Damina Addresses Arome Osayi’s Facial Appearance Controversy
Another aspect of the dispute concerns comments about Apostle Osayi’s facial appearance and his account of receiving a divine instruction connected to it. Damina argued that disagreement about such claims should not automatically lead to threats or hostile reactions against critics. His position was that believers could question a claim or discuss its implications without resorting to personal attacks or wishing harm on the people involved. The issue has added another dimension to the controversy, bringing questions of personal dignity, religious authority, interpretation of spiritual experiences and the boundaries of public criticism into the discussion. While criticism of a religious claim can be separated from ridicule of a person’s physical appearance, both issues have become intertwined in the online exchanges surrounding the dispute.
The Wider Question: What Kind of Christianity Are Believers Practising?
Damina ultimately returned to what he described as the central issue: the quality of Christianity being produced by the messages believers receive. He criticised the use of biblical passages such as “Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm” when they are invoked, in his view, to justify hostility towards critics.
“My issue is not about face or no face. My issue is the reaction, how Christians are reacting all over social media, judgment, curses, all kinds of stuff,” he said. His comments challenge ministers and believers to consider not only what is preached from church platforms but also how those teachings influence behaviour when faith is questioned or religious leaders face public scrutiny. The controversy has drawn different responses from Christian leaders and online commentators, with some focusing on the manner in which VDM criticised Apostle Osayi and others questioning the claims and teachings that triggered the dispute.
The arguments have highlighted the tension between defending religious leaders against personal attacks and allowing public scrutiny of their statements and teachings.
Conclusion
The Abel Damina VDM Arome Osayi controversy has moved beyond a disagreement between public figures to a wider debate about Christian conduct, doctrine, religious accountability and freedom to question spiritual claims. Damina’s central argument is that Christians can oppose teachings they believe are false without cursing their critics, threatening them or praying for their destruction. As the debate continues, the different positions expressed by religious leaders and commentators are likely to keep questions about the church’s public image, the interpretation of Scripture and the responsibilities of believers in the public square in focus.
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