Veteran Nollywood actor Yemi Solade has revealed that he was once paid to pretend to have a physical disability as part of an alleged staged church healing while he was still a student.
Solade made the disclosure during an interview with Feel Right News TV, published on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. According to the actor, he was approached when he was relatively unknown and recruited to act as a cripple during a church service.
Recalling the experience, Solade said the payment he received was spent on drinks at the time.
“I have been used for miracle then, when I was not popular, I acted as a cripple, they paid, I used the money to drink then I was a student,” the actor said.
Solade also said those involved in the alleged arrangement are still alive but declined to reveal their identities.
“The people involved are still alive; I don’t just want to mention names,” he added.
The revelation has attracted attention because staged miracles and claims of fraudulent spiritual practices have remained subjects of public debate in Nigeria. Solade’s account offers a personal recollection of how performers could allegedly be recruited to create the appearance of supernatural healings.
However, his account concerns an experience he says occurred during his student years, and he did not identify the church or provide independent evidence about the alleged organisers. His claims should therefore be understood as his personal account rather than an established finding against any specific religious organisation.
The disclosure comes shortly after Solade discussed his relationship with organised religion. In an earlier interview, the actor said he had stopped attending church services for about 13 years while maintaining that his faith in God remained strong.
Yemi Solade is a veteran Nigerian actor whose career spans several decades. His latest comments have renewed conversations about religious practices, staged performances and the responsibilities of religious institutions and entertainers.
