Police confirm arrest of COZA pastor, Fatoyinbo over rape accusation

The Senior Pastor of Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, Biodun Fatoyinbo, is reportedly currently being interrogated at Police Force Criminal Investigation Department, Headquarters in Abuja over rape allegations made by Mrs Busola Dakolo.

Fatoyinbo is being interviewed by a team of Four led by Asst Commissioner of Police Adaku Uche Anya, The Nation reports.

Busola Dakolo, the wife of singer Timi Dakolo had alleged in an interview that the flamboyant pastor raped her in 1999 when she was 16.

Sources confirmed that Dakolo was also being interviewed by detectives to shed more light on the alleged rape which reportedly occurred when she was a teenager.

This police involvement comes weeks after the cleric shunned an invitation extended to him by police officers probing the allegations.

He also shunned an invitation by the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, for an investigation into the matter.

The pastor had serial denied long list of rape accusations against him which began in 2013 when Miss Ese Walters accused the pastor of sexual misbehaviour.

The Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, confirmed the arrest.

Responding to a question, Mba said, “Yes, he is in our custody.”

When asked if the pastor was being detained, the Force spokesman said it was too early to say.

He also said the investigation of Fatoyinbo was proof that the police had not swept the matter under the carpet as was being insinuated in some quarters.

When asked why it took so long for the pastor to be invited, Mba said the police wanted to get statements from several witnesses and then build a solid case before inviting him.

The police spokesman said, “We have done a whole lot of background investigations and spoken to a whole lot of people before now. It was a deliberate investigative procedure to bring him last. Although we may invite others later depending on how investigations go.

“We were not in a hurry to bring him because we wanted to have enough background information that would be used in interrogating him. We have done an extensive investigation.”

Leave a Reply