The Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, COZA, has absolved its founder and Senior Pastor, Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo, of any culpability in the roiling rape saga which is now subject of police investigation.
The church, in its first official reaction to the scandal over which its embattled himself from the pulpit, but now back preaching, blamed some ‘envious pastors’ for sponsoring the “satanic campaign of calumny” against Fatoyinbo with the intent of poaching COZA’s members.
Busola Dakolo, a celebrity photographer and wife of a music star, Timi Dakolo, had accused Fatoyinbo of raping her when she was a teenager and member of the church.
But in a statement issued, Saturday, by the Executive Senior Assistant to the Senior Pastor, Ademola Adetuberu, COZA declared that the rape allegation was a sheer blackmail, adding that “justice will soon be served”.
“We would like to, again, for the records reiterate that our Senior Pastor, Rev. Biodun Fatoyinbo, has never had anything personal to do with her,” COZA said in the statement. “Busola was not raped by Rev. Biodun Fatoyinbo and she had never been in a relationship with him either.”
The church said it decided to break its silence on the matter to clear the deliberate disinformation, misinformation and misconception being dished out almost on a daily basis with the intent to confuse, deceive and discourage COZA members who hold their embattled pastor in high esteem and taint the man of God in the eyes of the public and relevant authorities.
Emphasising that COZA does not support rape in any way, the statement said Pastor Fatoyinbo was a victim of envious and jealous men of God who had, prior to the outbreak of the rape allegation, accused him of snatching their members.
The church said it was aware of certain pastors who felt threatened by the unprecedented growth of COZA and, consequently exploited the scandal to poach its members.
“We stand with anyone who has been a victim of rape,” COZA statement continued. “We stand by our Founding and Senior Pastor, Rev. Biodun Fatoyinbo, who has been at the receiving end of organized blackmail and all sorts of attacks because of his innocence and we are sure that our faithful and unfailing God will vindicate him very soon.
“We see this ugly development fuelled by envy and sheer jealousy as an unnecessary distraction and a fight from the pit of hell against the ministry that God gave Rev. Biodun Fatoyinbo, as well as a declaration of war against the Church of Christ to which COZA is a flourishing branch under God’s grace.”
