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The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, has sanctioned Loveworld Television Network, the United Kingdom-based station belonging to Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, over his comments on the outbreak of Coronavirus.
Ofcom, the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom, held that Loveworld News and comments by Oyakhilome featured potentially harmful statements about the Coronavirus pandemic and adequate protection was not provided to viewers, adding that his statements were not presented with due accuracy.
Oyakhilome was also sanctioned for making claims on the usage of hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
Details of the sanctions were not clear as of the time of filing this report.
The regulatory company held that Oyakhilome breached Rules 2.1 and 5.1 of the Broadcasting Code, thereby imposing a sanction while considering whether to impose any further sanction.
Oyakhilome had on April 7, 2020, while commenting on the link between 5G and Coronavirus said, “With the classification of a weapon, 5G technology is very dangerous.
“When it comes into contact with a human body, it can provide some poisons to the cells because our bodies try to fight the radiation, kicking out some protein and some DNA cells in a form of a chemical, which is called a virus. This shows that what’s killing people is not Coronavirus but 5G.”
Oyakhilome had recently slammed Nigerian pastors that complied with government’s ban on large gathering because of Coronavirus.
He posited that such congregation leaders were not true Christians as they did not ask the government for time to pray and consult with their congregation.
Abass Latifat
