I swear my sister, if not that you promised not to reveal my name and other people’s names, I will not be telling you this story. How will I tell the world that my pastor kidnapped me used me for sex for almost one week and I am a married woman!
So this is how it all started.
I am a member of the choir at our church, let us just call the name of the church, Christ Church; I joined the church a long time ago. I have also known Pastor J, this same kidnapping Pastor, who was a youth pastor in the church. Pastor J was in charge of the choir; that’s how come I became familiar with him.
Beyond that, I had no mind of befriending him because I already had a boyfriend and we were planning to get married but I noticed that Pastor J, being a young pastor was friendly with some of our female choir members.
I even know that some of these our choir sisters are not clean. They can do and undo but what is my business with them? I am not dragging husband with anybody, why should I be poking my nose into who Pastor J gives a ride to after choir practice or who he like better than the others?
Ehen.
Anyway, like I said, Pastor J was just there as far as I am concerned, he was very friendly to me but I had my mind on another person who was not even a member of our church, although he later became our church member.
My wahala started one Wednesday, like this it was raining after choir practice and I couldn’t go out to get a bus home, Pastor J offered, said he would drop me as well as the others. Hummn, you should see how some of our choir members, the girls I mean, how they were struggling to seat in front with Pastor J. I jeje go siddon at the back o. ha, I don’t want wahala. I sat there and since I would be the second to drop, since my stop is not too far than the rest, I just thought, hummn, why struggle for front seat sef?
But Pastor J didn’t drop me first, he just went to town first, dropped off the others and finally, I was the last. That was when I knew he was interested in me. He asked me to come to the front and was telling me he likes me, he knows I already have another guy in mind, he doesn’t think my guy will take care of me, he thinks I am special, all the blah, blah, blah.
Let me be sincere, I was flattered. I mean, Pastor J is handsome, all the single girls in church want to marry him so for him to be telling me all these things…it was one kind, sha.
Anyway, he came too late, me I was already in love with Samuel and we were going to get married.
So I just told him, ‘Pastor J, I am getting married to Sam. We have been courting for almost three years now and I love him.’ But Pastor J said I should just think about his proposal.
Since that day my sister, Pastor J did not let me rest. He will call, text, do everything but I was afraid to tell Sam because Sam is too jealous. He will start making trouble with me. Instead, I decided to avoid Pastor J as much as I could. I would not enter his car, I would not go with the others to his house, I just avoided anything with him as much as I could.
And another thing, a few months after that car incident, I started preparing for my wedding. It was not a big affair, just small thing from court to church and my father’s compound. In fact the wedding happened on a weekday, so that we can manage the crowd and food. You know that kind thing?
Not a big wedding and that day, guess what? It was Pastor J that officiated!
Somehow it should have been Pastor Martins, our senior Pastor but the man suddenly became ill and they now asked Pastor J to do the wedding. Can you see this life?
Anyway me, o. I still avoided Pastor J because sometimes I catch him looking at me in a funny way. Eyeing me, a married woman!
One day, after choir practice, he just cornered me on my way and told me he would drop me at home. I didn’t want to enter the car but he refused to move until I entered the car and sat in front because though the other sisters were already in the car, I think they allowed me infront because I am married.
then, like the last time, Pastor J made sure he dropped the other people first, meanwhile, my own stop was the second stop but he took one roundabout corner and I became the last person he was supposed to drop. That was how the thing started o.
Of course I was not happy that he delayed me. I knew he did it deliberately, him not dropping me on time but I kept my cool. I said, las las, he will tell me he still loves me and all the nonsense he has been saying since and I will remind him he was the one who was the Pastor who did my wedding, abi?
So as he was talking, I love you like this, I love you like that, I will do this, I will do that, I said, Pastor, you know I am now married!
But he didnt not even hear me. He said he wanted to make love to me. That was when I knew I was in trouble o because he started rubbing my legs, was pushing his hands under my skirt!
Shuo! I just began to shout!
That was how he just put something in my nose like handkerchief and I sneezed and that was all I remember. I woke up and found myself tied to a bed. I was naked.
My sister…I am ashamed as I am telling you. This man raped me every day, every afternoon, I was begging him. I told him my husband will be looking for me, my mother will almost die, my father will become mad!
My throat was dry; I couldn’t even shout loud because it was as if nobody was even living close to his house. I did not realize how long I was kept in his house until after they rescued me. That was when I knew he had kept me for six days! Almost one week of being tied, given water and biscuit and sexed like I am an animal.
It was my husband and some police who found me; I was so ashamed because I was naked when they just busted into the room. I don’t even know how they knew where to find me.
So they brought me to this hospital and another group of police waited for the pastor to return and they arrested him.
That is my story o. That is what happened to me.
-series written and edited by Peju Akande and based on true stories