Media broadcaster and on-air personality Ifedayo Olarinde, popularly known as Daddy Freeze, has alleged that he and members of his family received death threats ten years ago following his critical commentary on Nigerian Christian pastors.

The revelation was made during a recent appearance on The Honest Bunch podcast, where Freeze—now a co-host after replacing comedian Nedu—spoke candidly about the personal cost of challenging religious leadership in Nigeria.

“If there’s anybody who has experienced persecution from Nigerian pastors and their minions, it’s me. They called me derogatory names. I had death threats that were transferred to my family members. That was 10 years ago,” he said. “And the work I did is why you have people standing up today to the church.”

In recounting events that followed his divorce, he described his experience of being sidelined in his church. He said efforts by his pastor to reconcile him with his ex-wife were unsuccessful, leading to his exclusion from church activities.

“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. 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,” he said.

He explained that the experience led him to withdraw from church and study the Bible independently.

“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 added.

Daddy Freeze, a former radio presenter, is known for his controversial views on religion and public criticism of prominent Nigerian pastors, including their teachings on tithing, wealth, and church governance.