Alleged murder: Police arrest Pastor Chris Okafor’s in-laws

The parents of Pearl Okafor, wife of the founder of Grace Nation International Church, Pastor Chris Okafor, have been arrested by the Police in Lagos in connection with the investigation into the suspicious death of businessman, Mr Solomon Iwerebor.

The suspects, Mr Justin Iwerebor and his wife, Anthonia, are parents of Pearl. Justin was the deceased brother.

Solomon, who lived in Germany with his wife and children, was staying at Justin’s residence during a visit to Nigeria before his death in September 2026.

Their arrest followed a petition dated September 15, 2026, submitted to the Police by the law firm of Dr. Charles Mekwunye, SAN, on behalf of the Iwerebor family.

The family had requested that Justin and his wife, who were among the last persons to have contact with the deceased, be questioned over the circumstances surrounding his death.

In the petition addressed to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, the family alleged that since Solomon moved into Justin’s residence more than two years ago, he had lost contact with other members of his family.

According to the petition, when the family could no longer reach Solomon, his daughter, Miss Jade, who lives in Germany, contacted Pearl Okafor to enquire about her father.

Pearl reportedly informed her that Solomon had taken ill, was unable to speak and had been taken to Benin for treatment.

The family, however, said it was shocked to receive news of Solomon’s death from a third party on September 6, 2026, whereas he had died on September 2, 2026.

They expressed concern that despite repeated requests, Justin allegedly failed to provide details of the circumstances surrounding Solomon’s death, including the nature of his illness, where he was treated, the medical facility involved and any available treatment records.

Connection with Pastor Chris

The family also alleged that the deceased was an active member of Pastor Chris Okafor’s Grace Nation International Church and had spent substantial sums of money seeking spiritual intervention and deliverance from the cleric.

It maintained that Pastor Chris and his wife might have relevant information about the circumstances preceding Solomon’s death, particularly his health condition and movements.

Arrest of Pastor Chris in-laws

Mr Justin and his wife, Anthonia were arrested on Monday November 2, 2026, by Police operatives at Panti, Lagos, following the family’s petition and subsequent investigation.

Sources familiar with the investigation disclosed that there had been pressure on the Police to release the suspects. Pastor Chris was also said to have visited the Police formation on Thursday.

Family demands forensic probe

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday last week, two sisters of the deceased, Mrs Stella Iwerebor and Mrs Udo Hamis, alongside their lawyer, Dr Charles Mekwunye, SAN, said they were deeply distressed by the circumstances surrounding their brother’s death and the lack of information about events leading to and following his death.

They said Solomon, who lived in Germany with his wife and children, had not been seen by members of the family for over two years after he came to Nigeria on a visit to Mr and Mrs Justin.