‘How pastor ruined my marriage in order to impregnate me’

A middle-aged woman, Afusat Olaoye, yesterday narrated before a court how a pastor, Abiodun Elijah Olaoye, used what she maintained was spiritual means to make her abandon her husband’s home, and then impregnated her.  Afusat, who appeared as the defendant in a suit Olaoye had filed against her before the Abeokuta Grade I Customary Court, […]

A middle-aged woman, Afusat Olaoye, yesterday narrated before a court how a pastor, Abiodun Elijah Olaoye, used what she maintained was spiritual means to make her abandon her husband’s home, and then impregnated her.

 Afusat, who appeared as the defendant in a suit Olaoye had filed against her before the Abeokuta Grade I Customary Court, Ogun State, told our correspondent that she had stayed in the plaintiff’s church at the Abule-Oloni area of Lantoro, Abeokuta, when she suddenly realised she was carrying a baby for the self-acclaimed man of God.

  Afusat said, “He ensured that he ruined the relationship between me and my husband in his effort to get me, and in the end, I got pregnant for him after staying inside his church for about two years. He was already married to two other women, one of which he kept secretly in Ibadan. But, thank God, I am back with my husband and all I want is for him to provide for his child.

 “He wanted to play smart by coming to this Customary Court because already our matter is before the Family Court at Isabo, and he had even started paying the child’s monthly upkeep. He paid N7,500 for the month of May and part-payment of June. Since then he has not been forthcoming.”

 Buttressing Afusat’s claim was a letter dated September 19, 2017 from the Ogun State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development through its Abeokuta South zonal office written to the Customary Court acknowledging that both parties had come before the Family Court.

 According to the letter signed by the Probation Officer, Wonuola Kassim, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent yesterday, Olaoye was reported not to have cooperated with the Welfare Office. 

 “Consequent upon this Sir, the mother was referred to the Family Court, being the appropriate institution that is in charge with the responsibility of ensuring adequate welfare of the subject,” the letter read.

 The ministry urged the court to only “preside on the matter involving the relationship between the parties” and allow the Family Court, which it maintained was charged with the responsibility of determining the welfare of the subject, do its course.”

 Olaoye had approached the Customary Court to seek the dissolution of the four-year-old relationship on grounds of provocation, unrest, constant quarrels, lack of care for the child and threat to his life.

 The court president, Chief O.O. Akande, joined by Alhaji Orunsolu, ruled that by the letter from the ministry, the court cannot hear Olaoye’s child custody plea, saying that would be the responsibility of the Family Court.

 But on the dissolution of the relationship, the court ruled, “From today, your relationship is hereby dissolved. None of you should go to each other’s place.”

 The court advised Olaoye to go back to the Family Court to be able to get a date for the next sitting on the case.