In a fiery outburst that has ignited debate across social media, reality TV star and media personality Natasha Akide, popularly known as Tacha, has publicly lambasted Pastor Paul Adefarasin, the senior pastor of House on the Rock Church, over a viral video allegedly showing him brandishing what appeared to be a firearm at a young car spotter in Lagos.
The controversy, which has dominated social media platforms, has raised questions about pastoral accountability, celebrity activism, and the intersection of faith and public behavior in Nigeria.
The incident, captured in a now-viral clip, shows Pastor Adefarasin seated in a sleek black Range Rover Autobiography on a busy Lagos street. In the footage, the pastor winds down his window to confront a TikToker, known for documenting luxury vehicles, who was filming his car.
Adefarasin is seen sternly warning the young man to stop recording, with some viewers claiming he was holding a metallic object resembling a pistol. The car spotter, visibly taken aback, apologizes profusely, repeatedly saying, “Boss, sorry sir, sorry,” before the pastor speeds off.
The video, which surfaced on Friday, June 6, 2025, quickly spread across social media, prompting a wave of outrage and speculation. Many netizens condemned what they perceived as an aggressive display by the prominent cleric, while others questioned whether the object was indeed a firearm.
On Saturday, Adefarasin issued a statement denying the allegations, asserting that the object was not a gun and accusing the content creator of being “aggressive.” He further addressed the issue during a Sunday service at House on the Rock’s Lagos headquarters, streamed live on the church’s YouTube channel, describing the claims as “false, hurtful, and a product of malicious intent by clickbaiters just looking for money.”
Tacha’s Scathing Response
Tacha, a former Big Brother Naija housemate known for her unfiltered commentary, wasted no time in responding. In a passionate Instagram story posted on Sunday, June 8, she accused Adefarasin of gaslighting the public and criticized the church’s congregation for applauding his defense during the service. “There’s nothing I hate more than gaslighting,” Tacha declared. “Everybody saw the video. We all saw the video. And from the video, we can tell who the aggressor was.”
In her scathing critique, Tacha recounted the incident, emphasizing the car spotter’s respectful demeanor. “This pastor stopped his car, wound down, held an object that looked like a firearm, and told this boy, ‘Don’t do that, don’t do that…’ The boy was even hailing the pastor in that video,” she said. “There are so many car spotters all around the world. I don’t see what that boy was doing wrong. How was he being aggressive?”
Tacha went further, questioning the alignment of Adefarasin’s actions with Christian values and highlighting what she described as a double standard in Nigerian society. “Didn’t you watch the video, or do you have selective blindness?” she asked, addressing the pastor’s supporters. “Ninety percent of our Nigerian pastors will not get away with what they do in Nigeria outside Nigeria. The kind of Christianity they practice, if they try it anywhere outside Nigeria, their church will close down within a year.”
Drawing a sharp comparison, Tacha argued that the public reaction would have been far more intense if a political figure, such as Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, or Nyesom Wike, had been involved in a similar incident. “If it were Seyi Tinubu or Wike or Wike’s son that did this same thing, one part of Twitter would be burning by now, and it will burn for one week,” she said. “But because he is a pastor, some persons are making excuses for him.”
The controversy has also resurfaced allegations of Adefarasin’s past behavior, with Tacha referencing unverified reports of the pastor allegedly smashing a vehicle’s windscreen in a traffic altercation. “This isn’t the first time,” she claimed, fueling further scrutiny of the cleric’s conduct.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The controversy surrounding Pastor Paul Adefarasin’s alleged confrontation with a car spotter in Lagos, as highighted by Tacha’s outspoken criticism, has sparked a nationwide debate about pastoral accountability and public conduct in Nigeria.
The viral video, showing Adefarasin seemingly brandishing an object resembling a firearm, has polarized opinions, with some defending the pastor and others, like Tacha, condemning his actions as aggressive and unaligned with Christian values.
