Posted by By Stanley Nkwocha, Abuja on
Some stories sound unbelievable, yet, they are real. You just feel they couldn't have happened as simply put, they sound ridiculous.
Some stories sound unbelievable, yet, they are real. You just feel they couldn't have happened as simply put, they sound ridiculous.
Such perhaps describes the reaction to the story of the pastor of Promised Land International Christian Centre, Gwagwalada when the news of how he had engaged in an unpardonable extramarital affair with a member of his church, simply named Joy.
The illicit affair, which saw the lady getting pregnant a record six times, and terminating it each time, was revealed by the lady herself, who hails from Tivland in Benue State.
Speaking on their affair, Joy, who had approached a radio station, to narrate her ordeal, said she was forced to take the desperate measure, since all her attempts to force the 'man of God' to stay away from her had failed. Moreso, that she needed money to go back to her village after her experience at the pastor's hands.
But how possible is it that a mother of four could take in for a man six times and abort all?
According to Joy, who gave the pastor's name as David Praise, what started as a kind gesture suddenly turned awkward when the pastor decided to use his help to her to manipulate her into having sex with him.
Hear her: "I have four children from my previous marriage. I had a quarrel with my husband when my family asked him to come and fulfill the marriage rites, but he refused to do so.
"He relocated to Abuja in 1999. In 2002, I came to look for him and was told he was staying in Gwarimpa. On reaching Gwarimpa, I was told he had moved to Gwagwalada. With the help of one of his friends, I was able to locate him.
"When I met him, I found out that he had married another wife who was pregnant for him at the time and he convinced me to go back to the village, saying he was gong to come fetch me and the kids and subsequently, fulfill his marital obligations, but he never did," Joy said.
She said she went back to her village in Benue State only to come back to Abuja in 2003 and found out that her ex-husband had eloped with his new wife, leaving no contact address behind. In other words, he was gone!
Investigations revealed that the 30-year-old lady had taken her children to her ex-husband's mother before coming back to Abuja on the advice of some of her relations, as it is believed the move would bring him back to her.
So how did she meet this 'man of God'? Joy says that on the night of the 31st of December, 2003, while coming back from the restaurant where she served as a waitress, she passed by a church which was having a Crossover service-night of prayer into the new year. She decided to stop by and attend the service.
After worshipping at the church that night, the lady decided to worship there again the following Sunday. It was after the service, during counseling that she met the pastor -Pastor Praise.
It was at this juncture that the pastor's wife allegedly took to her, urging her to come stay with her family as about that time, she was staying with a male friend, a move the pastor and his wife frowned at.
Joy went on to reveal that after much persuasion on the part of the pastor's wife, whom LEADERSHIP WEEKEND found out was working in Lokoja, and only came on visits, she yielded and moved in with the pastor and his family.
Further probing revealed that throughout the time that his wife was in Lokoja, he never made advances at Joy. Curiously however, his advances, as revealed by Joy, started when the pastor's wife was transferred to Abuja and so moved back to their Gwagwalada home.
"I had complained of the inconvenience, but pastor's wife had assured me that there would be no problem, which made me move in.
"After some time, when his wife would go to pray at night, he would come to the room I shared stayed with his kids -who would be sleeping- and start 'disturbing' me.
"I tried to stop him, but he insisted and had his way most times, as I was helpless, not having anybody to turn to. I was too afraid to tell his wife," she said.
She said that not long after this started, she got pregnant and the 'man of God' took her to a 'Doctor,' who terminated the pregnancy in a 'clinic' he operated in his house. This, Joy said, was after she had resisted the act, but was persuaded to. At the doctor's place, in the presence of his wife, the pastor kept raining abuses on her, accusing her of having gotten pregnant for someone where she worked.
She further revealed that after the abortion, she had problems which took her back to the doctor, who said he had told the pastor that she was going to have severe pains, as the pregnancy, was already in its fourth month before it was terminated. However, like rampaging he-goat, the pastor got Joy pregnant a second time and gave her money. But did it stop there?
No, it continued; three, four, five! Yes five times, Joy admits that Pastor Praise got her pregnant and all five times, she had an abortion. It was on the sixth however that trouble came to a head.
The fourth time, Pastor Praise's wife got to know of her husband's escapades and it was then that this 'man of God' rented a place for her and she moved out of the house.
Asked why she decided now to go public with the matter, Joy said that after renting an apartment for her, Pastor Praise kept coming to have sex with her against her wish, until he got her pregnant the fifth time and as before, told her to abort it. This time, she refused. She alleged that the pastor came over some weeks ago and while forcing her to bed, he allegedly inserted some native substance into her private part to induce abortion. She said that on waking up, she experienced pains in her private part.
This was even after he had given her an injection - Noristerat, meant to prevent pregnancy which she refused to use, claiming it never worked for her.
"When I went to ease myself in the morning, I felt pain and saw that my vagina was out, just as I saw some particles in side me and I was bleeding.
"When I saw the bleeding, I called him and he came over and gave me an injection to take. I refused saying I could not," narrated Joy.
She revealed that it was then that the pastor stopped the N200.00 he had been giving her daily for feeding.
Contacted by phone, pastor Praise, who was evasive in answering questions put to him, however agreed to have had a sexual relationship with Joy, which he said he had confessed to his wife and God, and gotten their forgiveness.
"If that is what she said, at one point in time that happened and I made apologies to my wife and confessed to God, adding that he could not remember exactly the last time he had slept with her:
Asked whether he ever gave Joy an injection, he simply retorted, "I am not disposed to answer the question, because whether I speak or not, she has made the claims. Whatever she has said, let it be as she said."
On how he is still able to stand in the pulpit, Praise said he felt bad, but promised to help Joy financially for her planned trip back to Benue, saying there was already a plan to that effect and so wondered why Joy had gone public with the issue.
Said he," I do not want to join issues with her. I take whatever she has said as the truth. I will do what I can do for her between now and the end of November to facilitate her trip home."
Intriguing as the issue is, it may not just end here, as clearly there is more to this story than meets the eye. The as yet unanswered question concerning it outnumber the answered ones. Joy herself may have some more explaining to do.
Where is the pastor's wife in all of this? Was Joy really an unwilling partner in the sordid affair? Couldn't she have said no, and reported to Praise's wife.
Indeed there are moral as well as legal dimensions to this story, but one thing is clear, not all those preaching the holy scriptures merit the title 'man of God'.