- MFM has done well to suspend its “pastor” accused of illicit sex. But the law must take its course
“If gold rusts,” mused the Parson, in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Prologue to Canterbury Tales, “what would iron do?” He was referring to the troubling moral laxity of the Catholic England of the Mid-Ages, especially among ranking church members and the general society; and the imperative for priests to be above board.
That musing clearly applies to David Onyekachukwu, 48, a Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) official, alleged to have had carnal knowledge of a 16-year old, which resulted in a teenage pregnancy.
Though initial news reports claimed Onyekachukwu was a “pastor”, MFM, speaking through Pastor Niyi Babalola, its Regional Overseer in Gwarinpa Region, Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, has said the suspect was a “worker” in the church. Pastor Babalola announced the indefinite suspension of Onyekachukwu, “in line with the rules and regulations of MFM which forbid such acts and frown at them.”
He further revealed the identity of the suspect: “He is not an ordained pastor in Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries. He is just a member/worker in that Life Camp branch and he has been suspended from the branch immediately.” That was an action well and swiftly taken; and it is good to know the church instantly came clean; and did not attempt any cover-up or filibustering, as not a few could probable have done, given contemporary Nigeria’s troubling moral decay.
Still, that Onyekachukwu is not an “ordained pastor” hardly clears the church of the stain of his alleged action. How many of his types are still out there, as MFM “members/workers”, sexually preying on the bevy of teenage girls under their spiritual care? The church has done well by its promptness. But it should use the Onyekachukwu case to look at its staff list and weed out others likely to embarrass the church in the future, with similar acts.
The suspect’s act is especially galling, given its abuse of sacred trust; and the breaching of a near-father/child relationship. According to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Onyekachukwu sexually abused the 16-year-old twice; only to claim, afterwards, it was the devil’s work. As pathetic as that apologia is, what galled more was the circumstance of the church worker meeting his victim. The victim, who reportedly lost her parents in 2018, came under Onyekachukwu’s charge, when he reportedly volunteered to give her shelter; and deliver her from witchcraft.
Offering a homeless 16-year-old orphan a home is indeed an act of kindness, more so when you bring her in to live with your own daughter. But the suspect abused that initial kindness, hiding behind faith rituals and sentiments. Indeed, during her very first year under the suspect’s roof, he started making love advances to her, knowing full well, that she had nowhere to go.
That suggested he probably had ulterior motives; and his so-called kindness was nothing but a ploy to lure. Then, it happened: in March 2019, during her birthday, he raped her; and continued to do so after, though the suspect claimed he only violated her twice. Preying on a helpless girl is a grave abuse of trust, personal and religious, that must be strongly punished.
That is why the police should be detailed in their investigation, and charge the suspect to court to obtain a conviction, except of course, he is truly innocent. General rape is bad enough. But rape under religious cover is simply an abomination, particularly with millions of vulnerable girls all around the place. The state, therefore, has a bounden duty to prosecute this case and swiftly secure justice for the poor girl, if only to send strong signals to other sexual perverts lurking in our churches.
