Charles Teves
YouTube has shut down the channel of Apollo Quiboloy, a prominent megachurch leader, due to violations of the platform’s rules.
The decision came after a user reported that the YouTube channel ‘Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy’ was still uploading videos, despite Quiboloy facing multiple charges in the United States and having an active arrest warrant issued by the FBI.
“Hey, update here: upon review, we’ve determined that the channel is in violation of Community Guidelines & has been terminated,” YouTube said.
Since February 2022, Quiboloy has been included in the FBI’s list of most wanted individuals for allegations related to sex trafficking, fraud, coercion, and the smuggling of large amounts of cash.
Netizens then called on each other to report every social media page related to the pastor. What followed after the termination were celebratory tweets and posts from the netizens.
Apollo Quiboloy was reported at YouTube and his YouTube channel was taken down.
yeah, let’s do this for every social media account of Quiboloy too. and let’s report SMNI whenever they post anything about Quiboloy. pic.twitter.com/XjLPPNIGNE
— What A Waste of Ad Money (@wawam) June 21, 2023
https://twitter.com/godfatherJK5/status/1671399016696025088?s=20
Dasurb hahaha gagu ka
— Sean (@Seannykun) June 21, 2023
DAsurv!
Next @smninews https://t.co/XeWddYUA3r
— Pari Koy (@pads_nosi) June 21, 2023
Oh this is good news na mabawasan man lang ang fake news peddlers 🤩🤩 https://t.co/fLsJURFqYD
— Granny🎗🎀 (@The_PinkWarrior) June 21, 2023
The FBI said Quiboloy is wanted for alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States via fraudulently obtained visas; they were also forced to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders.
Despite being on the FBI’s most wanted list, Quiboloy has been actively sharing updates through his social media profiles, including the YouTube channel of his church The Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
In addition, he recently uploaded an interview with former President Rodrigo Duterte on the YouTube page of his media company SMNI News. CNN Philippines has reached out to Quiboloy and SMNI News for a response but has not received a reply yet.
