‘We were hoping he would change’– Fatoyinbo’s ex-spiritual father speaks on scandal

Emmanuel Oset, presiding pastor of Champions’ Church, Ilorin, has likened Biodun Fatoyinbo to the biblical Judas who despite being loved betrayed Jesus.

Fatoyinbo, senior pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), was in June accused of rape by Busola Dakolo, a celebrity photographer. 

In an interview aired by Arise TV on Thursday, Oset, who used to be a spiritual father to Fatoyinbo, said there was nothing the church could do for someone who is not ready to be helped. 

“Our Lord Jesus Christ knew that Judas had become a thief but it wasn’t Jesus who said so, it was John who said so. Not because Jesus was weak, but because Jesus was hoping that this man would change,” he said. 

“You always find in the scripture, the purposes of God are redemptive. Before God comes with judgement in any case, you will see that he would have tried to get through to the person. It is when His love has been rebuffed and rebuffed again that He comes with judgement. That is God’s procedure. 

“God does not rule by force, he rules by love. 

“People have spoken. People spoke in 2013, but you can only help somebody who wants to be helped. If somebody doesn’t want to be helped, even God will not be able to help him, His hands will be tight in that regard.” 

In August 2013, Ese Walter, a former COZA member alleged that Fatoyinbo had a sexual relationship with her while she attended and worked in the church.  

When the news broke, Oset said he tried many times to reach Fatoyinbo, and when he refused to come forth, he stopped being his spiritual father. 

“When in August 2013, news broke out online concerning him and his ministry, as somebody he was close to as an elder I thought it was my responsibility to get across to him,” he said.

“I was preparing to go to the United States for ministry, and after some efforts because it wasn’t easy to get through to him, his pastor in Ilorin here, I told him, get through to your boss and I want to share a thing or two with him. Eventually he succeeded, and he called me from Abuja. And I told him this news is all over the place and I want to hear from you and I want to also give you some counsel if need be. And he said he would get in touch. I said okay, I’m on my way to the US, while I’m there if I want to get through to you how do I do it? I thought he would just say sir you can get through to me using my email. Then he said his fear that time was that he was being bugged. 

“When I came back from the United States, I still tried to get across to him, because my desire is always to please God. I am not saying this to impress anybody, I wasn’t part of those already making comments on the issue. I just wanted to see how I could be useful in terms of helping him, but he didn’t show up. 

“I waited for about… from August 2013 to April 2014. When he didn’t show up, and he was coming to town, having meetings I was seeing his billboards in town, well, my wife and I said to ourselves we’ve done our bit. It was then I wrote him a letter and I said consider that we no longer have anything to do with you and your ministry. I didn’t post it, it was hand delivered by his own pastor.”

Oset said he knew Fatoyinbo got his letter but the letter but was yet to be replied years after. He said the letter ended their relationship. 

When asked if he had tried to reach him again in the wake of Dakolo’s case, Oset said Fatoyinbo is the one who now owes him that contact and not the other way round. 

He explained that when Fatoyinbo started COZA in Ilorin, he was looking for credible spiritual guidance and when he and his wife came to him, he made a number of findings and could not see any reason to reject him.