In Nigeria, pastors aren’t simply religious leaders, they’re revered figures.
They’re typically referred to as Daddy G.O., Papa, or ‘My Father’. These are titles of deep reverence, referred to as typically even by these older than them, and this respect stems from their sacred calling to shepherd their flock, a job that calls for the best requirements of morality, integrity, and self-discipline.
Their position is sacred, a lot in order that the Bible warns, ‘Contact not my anointed and do my prophets no hurt.’ Their phrases carry energy, typically even concern, and they’re typically seen because the ethical compass of society. Their life are held up as examples to comply with.
With pulpits that command hundreds of thousands each on-line and offline, the expectations positioned on them are towering, even overwhelming. And typically, below the load of all of it, they crumble. So what occurs when the shepherd strays or is accused of straying?
Over the previous decade, Nigeria has witnessed a number of allegations of sexual misconduct involving a few of its most distinguished pastors. Infidelity, stunning explosive rape accusations and viral intercourse tapes, have rocked church buildings to their foundations.
A few of their members fled, defected to new church buildings, whereas loyalists stayed behind. And the victims, left alone to heal their wounds. There was a string of intercourse scandals within the church, however under is an in depth have a look at among the most controversial sexual scandals involving Nigerian pastors lately.
6 Nigerian Pastors Concerned In Sexual Scandals
1. Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo (2013, 2019)
Founding father of the Commonwealth of Zion Meeting (COZA), Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo first confronted public scrutiny in 2013 when Ese Walter, a former church member, accused him of participating in a sexual affair that shook her religion.
In a 2023 medium post, which she titled “10 Years Past COZA-Weblog Scandal”, she wrote:
I had a sexual affair with my pastor, and EVERYTHING I assumed I knew about God, church, holiness, and God’s servants, crashed in my thoughts.
Ese Walter admitted that she had a bootleg love affair with Fatoyinbo whereas she was finding out for her grasp’s diploma in London. Whereas hers was not notably a rape incident, it grew to become a sexual affair that lasted for days. Walter mentioned Fatoyinbo had come to London and invited her to his resort room, the place he manipulated her into having sex with him.
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In 2019, a extra explosive accusation surfaced. Busola Dakolo, spouse of musician Timi Dakolo, publicly accused Fatoyinbo of raping her as an adolescent. In a video interview she had with Chude Jideonwo of Ynaija, Busola narrated how Fatoyinbo allegedly raped her twice whereas she was an adolescent. In keeping with Busola, she was a member of the church when the incident occurred.
The case sparked widespread outrage; nevertheless, Fatoyinbo denied all accusations, and the Excessive Courtroom of the Federal Capital Territory later dismissed Busola’s case. Regardless of the authorized final result, the a number of sexual scandal allegations have solid an extended shadow over his ministry.
2. Apostle Johnson Suleman
The founding father of Omega Fireplace Ministries, Apostle Suleman, has confronted a number of accusations through the years. In 2017, Canadian-based singer Stephanie Otobo alleged she had a sexual relationship with the preacher, claiming he impregnated her and later threatened her.
In keeping with her, it began in 2017 when a good friend informed her to name the Apostle, and he would inform her the title of her husband. So, she texted the names of two completely different males as a result of at that time, she needed to get married, however Apostle Suleman allegedly referred to as her himself and so they began speaking.
Stephanie Otobo accused him of impregnating her and breaching a promise to marry her. She would later recant, saying she was paid by unnamed political and spiritual figures to defame him.
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Ms. Otobo, who mentioned she got here to Nigeria from Canada with the intention to additional her profession, mentioned she succumbed to the manipulation of the politicians and pastors as a result of she was informed it could assist her profession. “They paid me some huge cash,” she mentioned.
Nonetheless, in 2022, Otobo, in an interview, defined that she made the confession in Suleman’s church under duress as she was already bored with the courtroom processes, notably with the switch of the case from an incorruptible choose to a different.
Nonetheless in 2022, Nollywood actress Halima Abubakar accused Suleman of a long-term sexual relationship. She claimed she had been pregnant for him a number of occasions and suffered severe well being points, together with bleeding for 4 years. In keeping with Halima, their relationship lasted six years and included cases of him sleeping together with her throughout her menstrual interval.
Halima additionally added that she had been pregnant for the clergy man three times. Suleman has denied all allegations, but the cloud of controversy stays thick round him.
3. Pastor Chris Omashola (2019)
Omashola, the top pastor of Zionwealth Church in Lekki, Lagos, discovered himself in a scandal when a intercourse tape that includes him and his then-girlfriend, Princess Tamaratokoni Okpewho, went viral in 2019. Okpewho accused him of leaking the video to stress her into marriage, whereas Omashola claimed the movies have been getting used to blackmail him.
Omatsola, in an interview with PUNCH, mentioned he met with Fatoyinbo at his Abuja church in the course of the disaster, and his senior colleague counselled him for over two hours on the problem. Omashola additionally added that he met with the founding father of Christ Mercyland Deliverance Ministry, Prophet Jeremiah Fufeyin, to mediate between him and Okpewho.
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Mockingly, when the information of Busola Dakolo’s rape allegation in opposition to Biodun Fatoyinbo broke, Omashola had some recommendation of his personal for the embattled pastor. He mentioned he believed Busola’s story as a result of she and her husband, Timi Dakolo, are already well-known and have cash. He additional mentioned:
I counsel that he (Fatoyinbo) ought to get himself collectively and push up once more; it’s not the top of life and (his) ministry. He shouldn’t sink into melancholy. He ought to get issues proper with God. He has taken the proper step by stepping down in order that it doesn’t seem like he took the allegation calmly or that he mocks Christianity.
4. Pastor TB Joshua (Posthumous, 2024)
The late Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, founding father of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), was considered one of Nigeria’s most globally recognised pastors. However three years after his loss of life, a 2024 BBC Eye Africa investigation unearthed dozens of allegations of bodily and sexual abuse spanning over twenty years.
Survivors alleged that Joshua raped, tortured, and manipulated followers, together with a number of studies of compelled abortions. Girls who lived throughout the Lagos-based church compound shared harrowing tales of repeated sexual assault and religious intimidation. Whereas SCOAN dismissed earlier allegations as baseless, this newest wave of documented testimonies reopened a disturbing chapter within the church’s historical past.
5. Pastor Joshua Iginla (2019)
In a dramatic Sunday service in 2019, Prophet Joshua Iginla, founding father of Champions Royal Meeting, publicly confessed to having a baby out of wedlock. Much more stunning, he revealed that his spouse had additionally been untrue, resulting in the delivery of a kid. The couple divorced shortly afterwards, and Iginla remarried Stella Zimasa, the South African lady with whom he had the affair.
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6. Pastor Timi Adigun
Pastor Timi Adigun of The Ark Church, a Lagos State-based worship centre and the Coordinator of MINE Teenage Ministry, was once identified for his passionate advocacy of sexual purity amongst youngsters. In 2022, a number of allegations emerged accusing him of sexual misconduct with teenage ladies below his religious care.
Public relations knowledgeable Akan Imoh carried out an impartial investigation, which allegedly confirmed the claims by means of the testimonies of former members and leaders. Amid public backlash, Adigun issued an apology on Instagram, admitting to “inappropriate behaviour” with feminine church members and asking for forgiveness. He mentioned:
The reality is, I used to be concerned in inappropriate behaviour with females over a few years. I went in opposition to the sexual purity message I preach and consider in, and I’m so sorry. I failed these of you who look as much as me. Please discover a place in your hearts to forgive me. I wish to state that there was no sexual activity with any humbly, none was a minor, and my spouse didn’t learn about these actions whereas they occurred (sic).
Although the MINE ministry was quietly shut down, Adigun reportedly launched a brand new ministry, leaving many former members feeling betrayed and deserted.
