It was the devil” were the first four
words that came out of the mouth of 42-year-old Segun Olawale, a pastor
who has been accused and being held by the Ogun State Police Command for
raping his church member on Monday, August 11, 2014 in his church
office at Sabo, Ijebu-ode, Ogun State.
According to Olawale, he did not know
what came over him on this particular fateful Monday morning during a
prayer session for the rape victim, a 32-year-old woman who was
persuaded by her mother (also his church member) to meet with him for
counselling and deliverance.
He said if it was not the devil that was
behind his action, sex was one of the things he had little or no crave
for at all in life. He also told our correspondent that it was a trap
that was set for him to fall and could not explain what happened.
“I don’t like sex and I really don’t
know how to explain how it happened. There was nobody there except God
and me. I was in the church for my usual prayer and counselling session
with some members when she was brought to me for prayers and
deliverance,” he said.
But while the prayer session was going
on, Olawale explained that he could not explain how he stripped the
victim naked and forced her to sleep with him. He said it was an action
he would live to regret all his life.
When pressed further on how the incident
happened, he said, “It happened on August 11, 2014 in the church around
10am. The name of my church is Sacred Order Church in Sabo, Ijebu-ode.
Her mother, who is also my church member, brought her to meet with me
for deliverance. She is around 32 years old. I really don’t know what
overpowered me to make her sleep with me.
“I was about leaving the church that day
when her mother brought her to me for prayers. I was about going back
home from the church. I did not know why her mother wanted to destroy my
life.
She told me she was being brought from her father and that they
had a vision about her. I was not the person who saw the vision.
“As she was brought in, I prayed for her
and gave her some anointing water. That’s all. Some people were in the
church, we were in my office; it was when I was praying for her in my
office that it happened. I cannot say how it happened.”
When asked if the victim would be the
first Olawale would ever rape or sleep with in the church, he said he
had never raped anybody before, and that he just started ministry two
years ago. He added that he had prayed for so many women and nothing
ever happened.
According to him, he only wanted to
solve the problems of the young woman. However, he ended up compounding
the victim’s problems.
On how he was arrested, our
correspondent learned that the victim told her mother after the incident
and then they informed the police.
Olawale said, “Nobody else was there
with us. I don’t want this to spread. The police invited me to come to
their office and I was arrested. I cannot say what the lady’s problems
were but I was asked to pray for her which was what I did. She too is a
member of the church.
“In everything we do, we should remember
the future. I just started the ministry. I started two years ago. I am
42 years old, I am still single. That was the first woman I would sleep
with in the church. I have never done that before, that was the first
woman I would rape. She was not the first woman I would pray for, yet
nothing like that ever happened to me.”
The spokesperson for the Ogun State
Police Command, Muyiwa Adejobi, said it was unfortunate that some
religious leaders were using their positions and influence to take
advantage of some of their members. He advised both members and leaders
of religious organisations to be cautious.
He said, “It is quite unfortunate that
somebody of his calibre should engage in such act. But we will do
everything possible to make sure justice is done. We are also using this
case as a point of reference to religious leaders out there who take
advantage of their members to take a clue from this. It is embarrassing
for such a thing to happen. We want to tell all potential rapists,
whether they are religious leaders or not, to steer clear of this dirty
act.”
And he blames the devil.... What nonsense. I suspect this is not the first time he is doing this. It's probably the first time, the law caught up with him.
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