The rape scandal rocking the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, COZA, may have claimed its first major media victims as the management of Punch newspapers, Tuesday, asked its longest serving editor, Martin Ayankola and the Chief Cartoonist to resign.
The daily editor was fired over a controversial cartoon published last Thursday depicting a man desecrating the Holy Bible by peeing on it.
The offensive material was published on the back page of the newspaper.
. Mr. Ayankola, who was appointed on December 2012, is the longest-serving editor in the 46 years history of The PUNCH.
The newspaper had on July 4 published an article on its back page written by Abimbola Adelakun with the title “What Does Mrs. Fatoyinbo Know”.
The article, which examined the rape allegations against Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) was illustrated with the cartoon of a man desecrating the bible with urine.
Following public outcry against the offensive publication, Punch had apologised to the nation ostensibly to avoid a backlash.
An emergency meeting was convened by the board on Monday where Ayankola was directed to resign before the close of work.
The editor had only returned from a one-week suspension before the cartoon saga.
There were speculations on Tuesday that the columnist and the chairman of the editorial board could be affected by the board’s decision.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated development, the Saturday editor,Olabisi Deji-Folutile has also resigned her appointment.
