The founder and senior Pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, COZA, Biodun Fatoyinbo has announced that he will be taking a leave of absence from the pulpit to sort things out after he was accused of rape by Busola Dakolo.
A massive backlash which metamorphosed into protests at COZA church in Lagos and Abuja on Sunday was triggered by a tell-all interview where Busola Dakolo, the wife of Nigerian musician, Timi Dakolo revealed how she was allegedly raped by Biodun Fatoyinbo when she was 16 years old in Ilorin.
Fatoyinbo who was also mired in other rape accusations, chief of which was the case of Ese Walters from 2013 finally decided on Monday morning (today) to step down from his position as the pastor of COZA for a while.
He had earlier canceled the church’s annual programme, ‘Seven Days of Glory’ conference which was scheduled to hold between July 1 and July 7, 2019.
Announcing the sabbatical, he said in a statement; “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 is honouring to our Lord Jesus Christ and the work he has called me to do.
“Drawing from their counsel and that of the leadership of Commonwealth of Zion Assembly and owing to my love for God’s work and the sacred honour of my calling, I have decided to take a leave of absence from the pulpit of the church.
“This step enables me to submit to the concerns of my spiritual mentors as they consider all the issues that have been raised against me.
“Though I do not understand all that is happening, I trust the Lord to lead and guide me one step at a time.”
Fatoyinbo has denied all the allegations leveled against him, saying that at no point in his life has he ever engaged in any act of rape.