A dramatic altercation unfolded at the premises of Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Ona Iye Parish, in Sango-Ota, Ogun State, as a commercial driver, Badiru Folarin, and his associates clashed with the church’s pastor and founder, Prophet Abiodun John, over a contentious paternity claim.
The dispute began after Folarin accused the pastor of engaging in an affair with his wife, Morufat, and claiming to be the biological father of their four-year-old daughter. According to Folarin, his suspicions were confirmed by his 14-year-old son, Saheed, who alleged that his mother frequently visited and cooked for the pastor while Folarin was away.
Folarin recounted how his wife began frequenting the church for spiritual healing but later moved in with the pastor under the guise of participating in vigils. He accused her of using money intended for their household to cater to the pastor.
“I gave her money for upkeep and rent, but she spent it on the pastor,” Folarin said. “She even relocated to the church during her pregnancy, claiming she needed spiritual protection.”
The confrontation reached its peak when Folarin allegedly caught his wife and the pastor together at the church, sparking a heated scene. Despite acknowledging the pastor’s paternity claim, Morufat declared she was unwilling to leave her marriage.
“I cannot be married to two men,” Morufat said. “But my husband is irresponsible, and I will handle him when we get home.”
Prophet Abiodun admitted to a 20-year on-and-off relationship with Morufat and claimed to be the father of her youngest child. He stated that their affair began when Morufat sought spiritual help years ago, accusing her husband of neglect.
“I have been supporting her and her children for years,” the pastor said. “I’m not ashamed to admit that I am the biological father of the child in question.”
The pastor, however, clarified that he could not marry Morufat due to her past relationships.
Folarin, a father of six, insisted he could not reconcile with his wife, alleging that she had previously terminated a pregnancy for the pastor. “She cannot return to my house,” he said. “I fear for my safety as the pastor has threatened me.”
The scandal has drawn attention from neighbors and family members, with Folarin’s son Saheed claiming his mother threatened to poison him for exposing her affair.
Saheed stated, ”My mother threatened to poison me for exposing her escapades with the pastor of our church to my father.
“She called me an unfortunate child for telling my father that she even cooked for the pastor.
“I know she attacked me because I knew too much about her secret affair with the pastor.”
As the controversy escalates, the pastor maintains his claim to the child.
He said: ”My name is Prophet John Abiodun, the founder and pastor of Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Orisun Iye Parish.
“I have been dating Morufat for about 20 years now. She told me that her husband abandoned her with two children.
”My church was formerly located in the Ijamido area of Ota before I moved it to Iloye area of Sango-Ota.
“Morufat came to my church about 20 years ago with two young children, Serifat and Saidat, for deliverance and spiritual protection.
“I was not the one that buried the baby’s placenta: her husband did. However, I am sure that I am the biological father of the girl.”
Prophet Abiodun boasted that he is not ashamed to affirm his affair with Morufat and that she was impregnated by him.