The family of Ayorinde AdeBello, a public health advocate and suspended Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) pastor, has petitioned the Nigerian police, accusing popular blog Gistlover of defamation, cyberbullying, and false allegations of sodomy.Ayorinde Adebello

The petition was sent by Adekunle Adex & Co. – the legal firm representing the AdeBello family – to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department in Lagos 31st October.
The case arose after Gistlover published allegations claiming that AdeBello engaged in same-sex relationships with young men, supposedly offering them career opportunities in exchange for sexual favours.

Following these accusations, AdeBello was suspended from his position in the RCCG. He, however, denied all allegations, stating, “I never engaged in sodomy with male teenagers.”

In their petition, the family expressed their distress over the impact of the accusations, describing them as “fabricated stories” without credible evidence.

They urged the police to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation.

“We believe these are fabricated stories and are not substantiated with credible evidence,” read part of the petition.

The petition also highlighted a lack of credible sources for the accusations.

It stated, “The only ‘evidence’ the blogger presented was an excerpt from a male teenagers WhatsApp group… deliberately isolated and taken out of context to achieve their evil intentions.”

These claims, according to the AdeBello family, have caused emotional distress and compromised AdeBello’s safety, making him a target for potential attacks.

The family added, “We unequivocally reaffirm that Ayorinde AdeBello is innocent of these spurious allegations.”

They assured the authorities that they would fully cooperate to aid their investigation.

The petition comes after Gistlover shared posts on various social media platforms, tagging AdeBello with his photo and alleging that he was involved in recruiting young boys for gay men.

The petition reads in parts, “We are solicitors to the family of Ayorinde AdeBello hereinafter referred to as “our Clients,” and have their firm instructions to write this Petition against GistLover blog for the false accusations levied against their son and brother Ayorinde AdeBello, with respect to the recent post on GistLover blog, with the intent to tarnish their name and his image in the society.

“We hereby call for a thorough investigation into these allegations in order to bring the perpetrators of this ignoble act to justice.

“It is our brief that on the 23rd day of October, 2024, various posts were circulated on social media by a blog known as GistLover through its account on X (formerly known as Twitter) @Gistloversblog1, Instagram @gistloverblog.mediaoutlet and Facebook @Gistloversgram, wherein some persons were accused of sodomy.”