Popular Nigerian Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo steps aside after singer’s wife accuses him of rape

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Wednesday, July 03, 2019

Biodun Fatoyinbo, senior pastor of the 16,000-member Commonwealth of Zion Assembly Worldwide church based in Nigeria, has announced he will be taking a “leave of absence” from his church after Busola Dakolo, the wife of singer Timi Dakolo, accused him of raping her several years ago while she was a member of his church.

In a statement shared on social media here and here, Fatoyinbo, nicknamed the “Gucci Pastor” for his expensive taste in clothes and cars, revealed his decision to step away from his pulpit after denying ever raping anyone even before he became a Christian.

“Unlike previous statements where innuendos were used and there was no direct mention of myself or the church, the recent video released on YouTube has now made direct criminal allegations against me in the interview granted by Busola Dakolo which are fallacious, non-existent and which are all denied in every measure,” he said. “As an individual and as a church we love and support people, and we will never condone any form of abuse, rape, harassment, or intimidation of anybody. I have never in my life raped anybody even as an unbeliever and I am absolutely innocent of this.”

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Dakolo claimed in an interview that the Gucci Pastor allegedly groomed her when she attended his fellowship group known as Divine Delight Club, which became COZA. He gave her books, visited her at home, and singled her out to sing at meetings as well as driving her around in his Mercedes Benz.

After gaining the confidence of her family, Fatoyinbo showed up at her house one Monday morning while her family was away. She was still in her nightgown when he forced her onto a chair, pulled down her underwear and raped her. She alleges that he said, “You should be happy that a man of God did this to you.” This first attack took place around the time the pastor’s wife, Modele Fatoyinbo, had reportedly given birth to their first child.

She kept the attack hidden from her family who were active church members and attended church with them the Sunday after the attack. Dakolo alleges that the pastor raped her a second time in a one-week span while driving her home.

Dakolo later told her family about the attacks and they confronted the pastor and other church officials who convinced them to stay quiet to avoid destroying his ministry.

The megachurch preacher, who is seen alongside high profile American preachers such as T.D. Jakes and John Gray in photos posted on social media, said he consulted with Christian leaders from around the world before making his decision to step aside.

“The past few days have been very sobering for me. I have taken time to pray and seek spiritual counsel from Christian leaders around the world who feel very concerned about the ongoing reports in the media. I have solicited their guidance on actions I should take that are honoring to our Lord Jesus Christ and the work he has called me to do,” he said.

“Drawing from their counsel and that of the leadership of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly and owing to my love for God’s work and the sacred honor of my calling, I have decided to take a leave of absence from the pulpit of the church,” he continued.

“Although it would break my heart to tatters to stay a day without doing ministry, I believe it is the right thing to do at this time. It is in the interest of the flock of Christ that issues concerning me do not become a distraction to their worship of their Lord,” he added.