Biodun Fatoyinbo, the embattled founder and leader of the Assembly of the Commonwealth of Zion (COZA), has announced that he will be taking what he described as “a leave of absence from the pulpit of the church.”
This was disclosed by Mr. Fatoyinbo in a post on Monday morning on his official Instagram page.
The latest decision of the pastor came in the midst of a public outcry calling him to step down on Friday and resolve the accusations of rape leveled against him by Busola, wife of famous singer Timi Dakolo.
Mr. Fatoyinbo said in the post that he made the decision after consulting with several worldwide religious leaders and COZA management.
He wrote, ”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 guide and lead me one step at a time. Kindly pray for me and the congregation as we seek the face of the lord at these turbulent times.”
Since Thursday morning when the interview of one of his supposed victims was made public, the contentious pastor has kept Nigerian headlines.
In an emotional interview, Mrs. Dakolo, a former COZA member, informed YNaija she was 16 when Mr. Fatoyinbo raped her in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The accusations spurred the preacher’s condemnation, who faced prior accusations of two women’s sexual misconduct.
On Sunday, at the church headquarters in Abuja, scores of demonstrators assembled to march against Mr Fatoyinbo.
In Lagos and Abuja there were simultaneous demonstrations.
In the meantime, Mr. Dakolo announced a seven-day protest mobilization to demand justice for his spouse, Busola.
In a declaration on Sunday, the singer disclosed this and added that the protest will also help seek justice for other ladies supposedly raped by the pastor of COZA and other pastors.
The protest will take place from July 1 to July 7 at COZA (Lagos and Abuja), Justice Ministry and Police Headquarters.
