Posted by By CHRIS ANUCHA on
Things have fallen apart in the matrimonial home of a pastor in Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oworonshoki, Lagos, over accusations and counter accusations of extra marital affairs.
Things have fallen apart in the matrimonial home of a pastor in Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oworonshoki, Lagos, over accusations and counter accusations of extra marital affairs.
Another bone of contention is the allegation by the pastor's wife that the husband wanted to kill her and take over their landed property at Olorunfunmi street, Oworonshoki, which she said they jointly purchased.
She also accused the husband of wanting to take over their school.
The embattled wife is accusing the husband of also using the police and area boys to harass and intimidate her.
In a letter addressed to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Emmanuel Adebayo, and made available to Daily Sun, she alleged that on January 16, her husband came with fierce-looking miscreants to threaten her and to disrupt the activities of her school.
The letter, which was written by her lawyers, Boyede Ogun & Co, legal practitioners and dated January 30, 2006, said: 'At present,(sic) the life of our client is under a constant threat by her former husband, who wants to kill her at all cost."
'In the light of the above, we believe in the competencies of the police and we shall be much obliged if your office could call for the file from Oworonshoki Police Station, to Panti and take over for a thorough investigation of the matter and charge same to court accordingly."
Daily Sun investigations revealed that while the battle over the ownership of the land and school is going on, the pastor has filed a divorce suit against his wife.
In a letter written through his lawyers to the wife on February 8, 2006, to inform her of his intention to commence divorce proceedings against her, the pastor cited 'incessant harassment, dereliction of wifely duties, night carousing and wandering acts causing breach of peace" as some of the reasons for wanting to divorce her.
The divorce suit was filed at the High Court, Osogbo, in September 2006.
How did the issue of extra marital affairs creep into the family of a man of God? The same letter to the police commissioner provides the answer.
The petition said: 'As a result of his personal decision not to work, our client informed us that her husband became another man entirely, especially he had depended on his wife for his day-to-day expenses. The wife had to take over the responsibilities of maintaining the home, paying children's school fees and so on.
'According to our client, the husband became redundant and had room to mess and flirt around with some church members. This ugly situation brought about jealousy and hatred between him and the wife who is now the bread winner," it said.
Besides 'flirting" with church members, the mother of three, narrated how the husband made, frequent visits to Egbe in Kogi State since 2004.
'At the end of January 2006, pastor told the wife that he wanted to marry Christie and bring her to their matrimonial home. She disagreed with him for two main reasons. They were legally married, Sunday was known to be a CAC pastor," a source said.
When contacted, Pastor Oke, who admitted instituting a divorce suit against the wife, explained that it was the decision of the church to send her wife packing.
According to him, the wife is a thorn in his flesh such that the church workers organized 21-day vigil, asking God to help send her out of her matrimonial home and the church.
He accused the wife of having an extra-marital affairs with one assistant police superintendent attached to Oworonshoki Police Station. He said it was the police officer who the wife had been using to harass and intimidate him.
'He had impersonated the DPO of the station. She had been boasting about the police officer. Everything she did, she would say that it was the DPO that asked her to do it," the pastor said.
He said the ASP obstructed any attempt he made to bring his wife to justice, especially, after she made away with the documents used in purchasing the land.
According to him, the wife had planned several times to use thugs to kill him. He said the wife later turned church members against him by telling them that he was an adulterer. According to the pastor, every member of the church thought he was a bad man and an adulterer as the wife made them to believe.
'She turned everybody against me. I was alone! Even in this street, she can go from shop to shop, she can stay in one shop for three hours, spoiling my name. I was advised to report to the police but they will be manipulating things in her favour."