Senior Pastor of The House of Freedom, Tony Rapu, has explained why churches sometimes fail to address sexual abuse cases appropriately.
Rapu said in a message on his blog late Friday that churches do not correctly address cases of sexual abuse because leadership may lack the competence to address the problem.
His comment followed allegation of rape against Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo of Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) by Busola Dakolo, wife of singer and songwriter, Timi Dakolo.
Mrs Dakolo had in an interview with Chude Jideonwo on YNaija TV revealed that as a teenager in the Divine Delight Club, the precursor to COZA, she was groomed and raped by the pastor.
The mother of three said it happened while she was a 16-year-old secondary school student living with her parents in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Fatoyinbo, responding on Friday evening, denied raping Busola or any other person.
Calling the credibility of his accuser and her musician husband, Timi, to question, he threatened to take legal action against all those directly or indirectly involved in the allegation.
In his blog post titled ‘Abuse in the Light of the Gospel’, Rapu said: “I believe many churches desire to get it right on this issue but often do not get involved because leadership may lack the competence to address the problem.
“Many lack the confidence to address sexual abuse because they don’t feel adequately equipped to handle the complexities involved. Others do not have sufficient training to address the challenges of sexual or even domestic abuse matters throw up.”
The preacher listed four steps that should be taken by church leaders in handling sexual abuse cases — caring for survivors, confronting sin, seeking justice, and protecting the vulnerable.
