Popular TikTok content creator, Habeeb Hamzat, widely known asPeller, has vowed to take legal action against Kesiena Esiri, Lead Evangelist atThe Remnant Christian Network (RCN)in Warri, Delta State, over comments accusing him of corrupting Nigerian youths and causing mass academic failure.
In a sermon that has since gone viral, Evangelist Esiri accused Peller and fellow skit maker, Jarvis, of promoting immoral behaviour among teenagers. He blamed their online influence for distracting students and negatively impacting their performance in the recently concluded 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
“The young person mentoring people now is one guy that calls himself Peller. From morning till night, young people sit glued to his content,” Kesiena said.
“He is moving around with a girl he’s not married to, engaging in all kinds of nonsense. And to my generation of teenagers, this is now normal. How can they pass JAMB?”
In response, 20-year-old Peller, during a live TikTok broadcast, strongly refuted the allegations, stating that he cannot be held accountable for anyone’s academic failures. He also accused the pastor of using his name for clout and church donations.
“Let me tell you something, nobody is forced to watch Peller and Jarvis,” he said.
“You see that pastor, we will sue you. Mr Prophet, we will sue you because you are using our names to collect offering in your church.”
Peller further claimed that Kesiena’s remarks were deliberately sensational to gain popularity among younger congregants.
“That day, all the Gen Zs will love the pastor and they will contribute more offering than what the church has ever collected before. He wants to build a channel in a worship place,” he added.
The controversy comes on the heels of widespread disappointment over the 2025 UTME results released by JAMB on May 9, with over 78% of candidates scoring below 200 out of a possible 400.
Public backlash prompted JAMB to conduct a review, during which it cited a significant technical error, leading to a resit exam for affected candidates.
While Kesiena has not yet officially responded to Peller’s threats of litigation, the incident has sparked a wider debate on social media about accountability, digital content, and its influence on Nigeria’s youth.
