Controversial media personality and outspoken religious critic, Ifedayo Olarinde, popularly known as Daddy Freeze, has revisited the turbulent chapter of his life when he received death threats for speaking out against Nigerian Christian clerics.
In a candid conversation during a recent episode of The Honest Bunch podcast where he now serves as a co-host following the exit of comedian Nedu, Daddy Freeze peeled back the layers of his personal and spiritual journey. He revealed that his vocal stance on controversial church practices earned him not only public backlash but also threats to his life and family.
“If there’s anybody who has experienced persecution from Nigerian pastors and their minions, it’s me,” he said boldly. “They called me derogatory names. I had death threats that were transferred to my family members. That was 10 years ago. And the work I did is why you have people standing up today to the church.”
The former Cool FM presenter, who has since become a prominent online advocate for scriptural accuracy and religious reform, described how his divorce became the breaking point in his relationship with his local church.
“After my divorce, my pastor tried to reconcile me and my ex-wife but I told him I wasn’t interested. So, I was excommunicated from serving in church events or sitting in the front row,” he shared.
The sense of rejection, he explained, became a catalyst for his deeper search for spiritual truth. “I felt rejected because Jesus never condemned the woman who had been married five times and was living with a sixth man whom she wasn’t married to. I only had one divorce and my church is treating me as if I committed murder.”
Instead of turning away from faith altogether, Freeze dove into an intense study of scriptures, focusing on translations in their original languages.
“So, I stopped going to church and started reading scriptures in the original languages. I started going deeper and deeper into scriptures. You can’t do that work for one year and any Nigerian pastor would make sense to you. It’s impossible,” he asserted.
His years of relentless advocacy have sparked both controversy and conversation in Nigeria’s deeply religious society. For many, Freeze remains a polarising figure criticised by some as a heretic, and praised by others as a modern-day reformer who dared to challenge the status quo.
While the backlash was severe, Daddy Freeze believes his boldness helped embolden others to start demanding accountability from religious leaders and institutions. His journey from radio host to religious whistleblower continues to shape discourse around faith, leadership, and truth in Nigeria today.
