Nigerian TikTok personality Habeeb Adelaja, popularly known as Peller, has apologised to Christians after facing backlash over a livestream in which he dressed in white and presented himself as Jesus Christ.
The controversial moment unfolded during a livestream when Peller appeared wearing a white outfit and asked one of his guests to address him as Jesus Christ.
The guest, however, immediately objected to the request and cautioned the popular streamer against making statements that could be interpreted as disrespectful to Christian beliefs.
The incident attracted criticism, prompting Peller to publicly appeal for forgiveness from Christians who felt offended by his actions.
In his response, the TikTok personality insisted that he had simply worn a white piece of clothing and did not anticipate that the moment would generate such a negative reaction.
“Yes, I’m very sorry. Yeah, I just wore that white cloth. I don’t know it is a problem I am facing. Christian people, sorry,” Peller said.
He continued by directly addressing Christians, expressing affection for them and asking them not to take offence.
“You hear, guys, sorry. You hear, Christian people, sorry. Yeah, I love you, Christian people,” he added.
Peller also made comments about his religious background, saying he attends Christ Apostolic Church while describing himself as both Christian and Muslim.
“Yeah, I’m a Christian too. Yeah, I go to Christ Apostolic Church. Yeah, I’m a Muslim on one side. Yeah, so sorry,” he said.
His apology comes after the livestream moment sparked discussion about religious sensitivity and the boundaries content creators should observe when using religious figures and symbols for online entertainment.
Although Peller said he did not intend to cause offence, his request to be addressed as Jesus Christ became the central issue in the backlash.
For now, the Nigerian content creator has acknowledged the criticism and asked Christians to forgive him.