COZA: Why I Disowned Fatoyinbo As My Son Since 2013 – Ilorin Pastor

An erstwhile spiritual father of pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), Emmanuel Oset, has revealed why he severed his relationship with the popular Abuja-based pastor after his first sex scandal in 2013.

Oset revealed in an interview with Arise TV that Fatoyinbo’s alleged refusal to have a one-on-one interaction with him after Ese Walter accused the COZA pastor of taking sexual advantage of her, led to him to disown Fatoyinbo as his spiritual son.

Walter had claimed in a blog post in 2013 that she had a sexual relationship with Fatoyinbo while she attended and worked in COZA church.

Pastor Oset, who is the general overseer of the Champions’ Church, Ilorin, told the interviewer that the church cannot forcibly assist a man who is not ready to receive help.

“God does not rule by force, he rules by love,” said Oset.

“People have spoken. People spoke in 2013, but you can only help somebody who wants to be helped. If somebody doesn’t want to be helped, even God will not be able to help him, His hands will be tied in that regard.”

Speaking further on the Ese Walter saga, Oset said he made repeated attempts to reach Fayinbo when the news first broke,  but that the COZA pastor avoided him.

“When in August 2013, news broke out online concerning him and his ministry, as somebody he was close to as an elder, I thought it was my responsibility to get across to him.

“I was preparing to go to the United States for ministry, and after some efforts — because it wasn’t easy to get through to him. His pastor in Ilorin here, I told him, ‘Get through to your boss and I want to share a thing or two with him.’

“Eventually he succeeded, and he called me from Abuja. And I told him, ‘This news is all over the place and I want to hear from you and I want to also give you some counsel if need be.’ And he said he would get in touch.

“I said, ‘Okay, I’m on my way to the US. While I’m there if I want to get through to you, how do I do it?’ I thought he would just say, ‘Sir, you can get through to me using my email.’ Then he said his fear that time was that he was being bugged.”

Oset said, when he returned from the US, he still tried to reach Fatoyinbo, because his (Oset) desire was always to please God.

“I am not saying this to impress anybody. I wasn’t part of those already making comments on the issue. I just wanted to see how I could be useful in terms of helping him, but he didn’t show up.

“I waited from August 2013 to April 2014. When he didn’t show up, and he was coming to town, having meetings, I was seeing his billboards in town. Well, my wife and I said to ourselves we’ve done our bit.

“It was then I wrote him a letter and I said, ‘Consider that we no longer have anything to do with you and your ministry.’ I didn’t post it; it was hand-delivered by his own pastor.”

Oset said he knew Fatoyinbo got his letter in 2013 but refused to respond.

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