A tumultuous scene erupted at the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Ona Iye Parish in the Iloye area of Sango-Ota, Ogun State, last week when a commercial driver, accompanied by family and friends, confronted the church’s pastor and founder, Prophet Abiodun John, in a scandalous dispute over paternity.
The driver, Badiru Folarin, whose wife, Morufat, had sought spiritual healing at the church, accused the pastor of claiming to be the father of their four-year-old child after he allegedly caught him involved in an affair with her.
Folarin’s claims were supported by their 14-year-old son, Saheed, who revealed that his mother frequently visited and cooked for the pastor while he was away, and that the pastor visited their home during odd hours.
He stated, “The pastor claimed that my in-law had given my wife to him as his own. But can a woman truly be given to two men as a wife?
“The pastor confronted me directly, asserting he is the biological father of our youngest child, a four-year-old. Meanwhile, my wife cursed me, wishing for Ogun (the Yoruba god of iron) to strike me dead so she could be with her benefactor.
“I am a driver, and my wife would often leave home for days under the guise of vigils and spiritual protection. My mother-in-law expressed her concerns about my wife’s prolonged absence from home due to church activities.”
Amidst the shouting and chaos, Morufat informed her husband’s relatives and onlookers that she had no intention of leaving her husband. However, when pressed to choose between her husband and the pastor, she conceded the paternity of the child to the latter.
“No one should blame me for this situation… and if you must know, I cannot marry two men. But my husband refuses to care for me; he is a shameless man, and I’ll deal with him when we get home.”
Folarin retorted, “You cannot come back to my house… anything could happen to you if you do.”
Reflecting on the turmoil, the father of six recounted how he initially dismissed the suspicions of an affair until his son disclosed that his mother was secretly visiting the pastor at the church.
“I did not realise the pastor was having an affair with my wife. I am a Muslim, and my wife is a Christian. She sought deliverance at the church due to spiritual attacks.
“Suddenly, she began spending more time there. When I learned of the supposed affair, I confronted her, but she denied it.
“She would ask my children for financial assistance while at the church, and I was unaware she was using that money to cook for her pastor-lover.
“The pastor knows me well; he had given me spiritual items to attract good fortune, yet my business has faced a downturn instead.
“I have been married to Morufat for over 30 years, and we have a 30-year-old child. I provided her with around N6,000 a day for household expenses.
“A few days ago, when I returned home, she berated me. This angered our 14-year-old son, Saheed, who revealed that his mother was indeed involved with the pastor, cooking for him with the money I had given her.
“My son told me that just before I got back home, his mother had come from the church after bringing food to the pastor.
“The pastor boldly told me he is the biological father of our youngest child, a daughter named Alimot.
“I gave my wife N68,000 while she was pregnant with our last child, but she gave it to the pastor and stayed at the church for several months, claiming it was for spiritual protection.
“When we faced accommodation issues, I provided her with money for a new place. Instead, she used it for her affair and later pretended to be ill, saying she needed it for treatment.
“I found some money and secured another apartment for her in the Plaza area of Sango-Ota, despite her insisting she didn’t want me to find her a new place.
“I warned her against getting too close to the pastor and advised her to stay in the new apartment.
“To my surprise, she later complained about the one-storey building.
“I would give her N3,000 in the morning and N3,000 in the evening, as I typically left home around 5 am to take the first shift picking up passengers at the motor park.”
“Last week, my son casually dropped the bombshell that his mother had been staying at the pastor’s house for four whole days. Fueled by a mix of anger and disbelief, I stormed over there, only to find them half-naked in a room.
The pastor had a towel precariously clinging to his waist, while my wife had somehow managed to tie a rag around herself, all the while shooing my two small children outside to play as if nothing were amiss.
In sheer outrage, she unleashed a tirade of insults on me, calling me every name under the sun. Mortified, I reported the affair to my wife’s uncle, who in a fit of indignation slapped the pastor for seducing my wife and allegedly impregnating her in the process.
We attempted to take my children away from her grasp, but in a rather dramatic display, she bit my hand, while the pastor brazenly claimed to be the father of my youngest daughter, who happens to be my sixth child.
He had the audacity to declare right there that he was the biological father and that I had no right to take her away from him.
In a scene straight out of a soap opera, my wife insisted she wasn’t prepared to leave me, nor her pastor-lover for that matter.
As if that weren’t enough, I uncovered the shocking truth that she had previously aborted a pregnancy for this same pastor years back.
Reconciliation was off the table; the pastor had issued threats to ‘deal with me’ should I pursue that route.
With a family tree that boasts 13 siblings, only three of us remain – talk about survival of the fittest!
I just want to be free from this vicious cycle – honestly, Nigerians, help me get away from this merciless pastor!”
In a surprising turn of events, we got the scoop from Saheed, Folarin’s son, who revealed that his mother threatened to poison him for spilling the beans on her affair with the church’s pastor.
“My mother warned me that I’d be the next recipient of her culinary skills if I told my father about her culinary exploits with the pastor,” he lamented, “She called me an unfortunate child for exposing that she even prepared dishes for him!”
Pastor John, meanwhile, unashamedly aired his own side of the story, asserting with confidence that he was indeed the biological father of Morufat’s sixth child.
He claimed, “I’m Prophet John Abiodun, the founder and pastor of Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Orisun Iye Parish. Believe it or not, I’ve had a rollercoaster relationship with Morufat for the last 20 years!”
According to him, Morufat had approached his church two decades ago, seeking deliverance with her two young children in tow.
When he noticed she wasn’t leaving any time soon, he asked her to bring a family member. Eventually, her aunt made frequent visits, and that was when a six-month affair blossomed in the church.
She disappeared from his life, only to return a year later, miraculously pregnant by her husband – the same man she’d labelled irresponsible.
“I had to remind her of her past indiscretions,” he recounted, “She said he’d abandoned her again, this time running off with a widow.”
The pastor claimed he assisted her through her delivery and facilitated prayers for the safe arrival of the baby; however, after that, their paths diverged – until fate had them run into each other again.
Once more, their affair reignited as she confronted marital issues and expressed a desire to leave her husband, citing her mother’s interference as the reason for her prolonged stay.
“By that point, she already had five children,” he stated, slightly defensive, “And yes, my own wife couldn’t tolerate my involvement with Morufat, leading to our split three years ago.”
He further alleged that Morufat’s mother was privy to the truth about their child and insisted he had a deal with her, promising to reclaim his daughter when she reached the age of ten.
“It’s unfortunate that her mother isn’t here; I’d challenge her to confess,” he stated with bravado.
“I personally took Morufat to the hospital on my motorcycle when she was in labour, and let’s be frank – while I may have covered her delivery expenses, I did catch wind that her husband handed over cash for it too before she was discharged.
As it happens, I wasn’t the one who buried the placenta – her husband tended to that. But without a shadow of a doubt, I stand firm in my belief that I am the biological father of that girl.”
Prophet Abiodun boldly boasted about his affair and shrugged away any shame associated with it, declaring, “I proudly say that I’ve contributed to the vocational training of some of her children. Her husband? Let’s just say he hasn’t upheld his responsibilities when it comes to the upbringing or naming of any of their offspring.
“Morufat ran to me one day and clashed with my wife, which prompted my wife to make the final decision to leave me.
“I cannot shy away from stating this anywhere, even on a radio programme.
“I named the girl Bose because she was born on a Sunday, while her husband chose the name Shadiat. She was a twin, as revealed to me by ‘God’, but the second child was lost during the pregnancy.
Prophet Abiodun, however, stated that he cannot take Morufat as his wife due to her previous relationships with other men.
“I cannot marry Morufat because I am aware of her history and some of the men she has dated in the past,” he said.
“I am only claiming my child because I know I am the father, and I have a scan of the baby to prove it.
“Morufat is 46 years old, and she publicly confirmed that I am the real father of her last baby.
“Moreover, both our families are aware that I am the true father, and I want to reiterate that I am not ashamed to say so.”
