Online video-sharing giant YouTube has terminated the account of controversial religious leader Apollo Quiboloy due to violations of certain community guidelines on the digital platform.
The account was removed after a content creator called the attention of the YouTube support team through its Twitter account, asking why Quiboloy’s account is still active despite an existing warrant of arrest from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“Hey, update here: upon review, we’ve determined that the channel is in violation of Community Guidelines & (and) has been terminated,”
Team YouTube said in a Twitter post on Wednesday.
Quiboloy’s YouTube account had garnered more than 45,000 subscribers before it was taken down.
Two other supposed YouTube channels of the pastor, the True Gospel of Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy and Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy, only have 176 and 141 subscribers, respectively, remaining active on the platform.
Quiboloy, the leader and founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, a religious group based in Davao, was placed on the FBI’s most wanted list back in 2022 due to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, and sex trafficking of children, sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling.
The self-proclaimed “Son of God” also has close ties with the family of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who appointed him as a spiritual adviser.