•The accused RCCG pastor
The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has said it is awaiting the outcome of ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against one of its pastors in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
The Publicity Secretary of the RCCG, Lanre Oyegbola, who stated this yesterday, also confirmed to our correspondent that the church was aware of the matter, reports Sunday PUNCH.
The accused is said to be a youth pastor at the RCCG Strongtower Parish, located near Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.
He came under public scrutiny after a dramatic confrontation during a church service, where a lady, said to be a LAUTECH student, accused him of attempted rape and sexual coercion.
In a video which has gone viral, the lady narrated how the pastor allegedly approached her and demanded sex.
According to her, the pastor invited her to his residence under the pretext of collecting food she had bought for him, but attempted to force himself on her despite repeated refusals.
She further alleged that after failing to achieve “penetration”, the pastor allegedly demanded oral sex and later boasted about having similar encounters with other female church members.
“You said can I help you get pounded yam and egusi soup, do you remember that? I knew that this man (pastor) was trying something again, so I gave an excuse but you said you will wait for me to finish whatever I was doing and get you the pounded yam and egusi soup. I brought it to your place at upper room and you started asking me questions before I knew it, you were all over me.
“Then you were trying to rape me and I kept closing my legs. I was telling you no. You did it to the extent that you asked me to give you head (oral sex). And I asked you a question on that day that ‘the way you are always spanking my ass and touching me all over, do you do it to other ladies?’ You said even most of the ladies are virgins and you mentioned the likes of Sister Rachel and co…,” the lady said.
Responding, the pastor took the microphone and said, “She has spoken right, and the story is sweet, let me ask her….”, before the video ended.
Following the confrontation, several other women reportedly came forward with similar allegations involving unwanted sexual advances, coercion and abuse of pastoral authority.
But reacting to the allegations, Oyegbola said the matter was already being handled, adding that the church was awaiting the report of investigation by the school authority before deciding on its next line of action.
“I have been able to confirm that the church is aware of the allegations and is waiting for the outcome of the investigation of the school authority to know the next steps,” he said.
When asked if the pastor had been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation, he said “an allegation is being investigated, so the church is awaiting the outcome of the investigation by the school.”
Calls and messages sent to the National Overseer of the RCCG, Pastor Sunday Akande, were not answered as of the time of filing this report.
Efforts to get the accused pastor’s reaction were unsuccessful, as messages sent to him on Facebook were not responded to.
Our correspondent also attempted to reach him on Instagram but was unable to, as his account is private.
The incident sparked debate on social media, with some users praising the lady for speaking out, while others called for investigation into the allegations.
When contacted, the spokesperson for LAUTECH, Lekan Fadeyi, promised to react after finding out details.
He said, “I’m just hearing this for the first time; but let me find out if any such case has been reported to the school authorities.”
Also, the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, said he was not aware of the incident.
According to him, the state Criminal Investigation Department usually handles such cases.
Meanwhile, a top Christian leader, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, said Christians must uphold moral standards and protect vulnerable persons in society.
He said, “The allegations should be properly investigated and if established, whoever is found wanting should answer questions on what has really transpired.
“We should be able to have the mind of Christ in our lives and show the same to other people. Whoever is involved should be penalised. There is no guessing about that because there are things that must not be mentioned among us.”
Adegbite, who is also the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Lagos State, noted that while some persons could bring false allegations against religious leaders, every claim must still be carefully probed in the interest of justice and fairness.
