Nigeria: Coza Abuja Senior Pastor in Sex Scandal

By Nicholas Ibekwe
The Allafrica
August 25, 2013

http://allafrica.com/stories/201308260487.html

The Commonwealth of God Assembly, COZA, pastor is yet to officially react to the allegation.

Traffic around luxury Thisday Dome where Commonwealth of God Assembly, (COZA) holds services was unusually light Sunday morning.

The long fleet of expensive cars parked by congregants had been replaced by few cars and a handful of loitering congregants. It looked as if life had been scrapped from the hitherto bustling church.

This was not unexpected.

In the last few days, the church's Senior Pastor has been entangled in an allegation of infidelity with a former member of the church that has snowballed into a huge sexual scandal that many say might destabilise the church.

Barely 48 hours after a former female congregant and worker of the COZA, Ese Walter, confessed to having had an affair with the church's Senior Pastor, Biodun Fatoyinbo, another former female member has come out with claims of her alleged encounter with the pastor in a hotel in Lagos.

Ms. Walter had sent social media alight after she alleged in a blog post that she had a week-long sexual relationship with the pastor during his London visit.

According to Ms. Walter, after arranging for a taxi to pick up Mr. Fatoyinbo from the airport during his visit to London, the pastor invited her to his hotel and offered her alcohol.

"You don't have to be shy Ese, even if it's alcohol, feel free and order what you want," she claimed the pastor said.

Subsequently, she said, Mr. Fatoyinbo invited her to sit on his laps. When she hesitated, she claimed the pastor told her to relax saying: "feel free Ese."

According to her, they kissed and soon were embroiled in a week-long amorous affair that left Ms. Walter feeling abused and manipulated.

Ms. Walter alleged that Mr. Fatoyinbo had dismissed the guilt she had, saying: "I will teach you a level of grace that you don't understand."

Ms. Walter, who admitted that the relationship was consensual, however said she felt "abused and manipulated" by Mr. Fatoyinbo and the fleeting manner the church's leadership handled the affair after she raised it with another pastor in the church.

She said she went public with the story when she could no longer withstand the "psychological abuse."

"I made an effort to reach out to him because I realized the right thing to do was talk to an elder in the church and seek some sort of remedy to a wrong I believed had been done me. Instead, Pastor Flo said Pastor Biodun had confessed to him and they had 'talked' about it and somehow that was supposed to be OK. He asked what it was I wanted coming to talk to him about it when I did, I told him I realized what happened between Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo and I was wrong and not just that I felt abused and manipulated. I also said I thought it was wrong for Pastor Biodun to go on preaching without taking time to deal with his personal character flaws. I said I thought he was danger to all the young women that attended the church."

In a narration that is close to that described by Ms. Walter, Franca (the second female) has described how close she came to being led into a sexual relationship with the embattled pastor. Franca claimed the pastor, under the pretext of doing some computer based work for him, lured her into Wheatbaker Hotel, Lagos.

According to Franca, when she resisted Mr. Fatoyinbo's advances, he rebuked her for acting like a "small illiterate uneducated girl." She claimed in order to convince her to sleep with him Mr. Fatoyinbo had described his wife as a "postcard... pretty on the outside but flat and empty upstairs. He said sex with her was like having sex with a cold dead fish."

She claimed Mr. Fatoyinbo, whom she described as "randy goat with a deflated erection", left her after she threatened to accuse him of rape.

Franca claims she has recordings and pictures taken from the hotel as proof of the encounter and threatens to publish it if the Pastor denies the incident.

An alleged incorrigible philanderer, Mr. Fatoyinbo is no stranger to alleged sexual waywardness. From the inception of the church in Ilorin, the pastor, who the church's official website describes as "a preacher with uncommon prophetic insight into the word" has been trailed by allegations after allegations of unbridled sexual advances to female congregants.

In one case in Ilorin, it was alleged that he had sexual relationship with two sisters to the point of impregnating one of them. Nothing came out this allegation.

In another of such allegation Mr Fatoyinbo, was accused of having an amorous relationship with a married woman.

The pastor who has also been described as a "power dresser" for his love of smart and designer outfits runs the Abuja headquarters of COZA with his wife Modele.

Its congregants are mostly young, educated, hip, and stylishly dressed. It also runs live webcasts of its services.

Online Scandal

The allegation has spiralled into a massive scandal on social media. While some have called for caution asking people to wait for Mr. Fatoyinbo's version of the alleged affair, others have dismissed Ms. Walter as loose and attention-seeking.

Some others have taking to satirising the entire affair. Innuendoes such as "www.anotherlevelofgrace.co.za," "Henny and coke" and "come and sit on my lap" among the most popular.

A Facebook page "Stop This Abuse in the Name of God Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo" already has over a hundred likes.

Mr. Fatoyinbo is yet to officially respond to the allegation, but the Twitter timeline of some congregants at the church suggest he gave a peripheral mention of the scandal during service.

"I'm sure you read a lot about me on twitter and social networks. You can't imagine how many people have called me," tweeted Seun Salami (@SeunWrites) quoting the pastor.

I'm sure you read a lot about me on twitter and social networks. You can't imagine how many people have called me ~ Pastor Biodun #COZA

-- 'Seun Salami (@SeunWrites) August 25, 2013

We are going to speak but we are consulting to come up with a robust reply ~ Pastor Biodun #COZA

-- 'Seun Salami (@SeunWrites) August 25, 2013

From this pulpit, there are some things you don't say. My destiny is not in anybody's hands ~ Pastor Biodun #COZA

-- 'Seun Salami (@SeunWrites) August 25, 2013

One thing you can be assured of is that my wife and I love you ~ Pastor Biodun #COZA

-- 'Seun Salami (@SeunWrites) August 25, 2013

The pastor however concluded his sermon by saying: "when we asked God, God said be quiet. Thank you!"

When we asked God, God said be quiet. Thank you! ~ Pastor Biodun #COZA

-- 'Seun Salami (@SeunWrites) August 25, 2013

It is hard to tell whether that was an indication that he will never respond to the allegation.