When exiled princes return to their homeland, they either saunter back into the borders of their beloved country, wielding high aloft the sword of victory and a cleared name. Or they can sag along dejectedly, clad in sorrow and draped in guilt, hoping the people they betrayed would value sympathy above justice. The exiled prince of Commonwealth of Zion Ministry (COZA) however did neither. He quietly returned to the pulpit he had been compelled to step down from.
In the wake of sundry and very graphic allegations of sexual harassment publicly and unequivocally made against him by Bukola Dakolo, a former member of the church and wife of popular singer Timi Dakolo, Pastor Biodun had proceeded on what he dubbed a self-imposed exile from the pulpit. The handsome hunk who is always dressed stylishly framed the decision as a unilateral one. However, many in and out of the church argued to the contrary. According to them, he was forced to temporarily seek refuge in a cool place away from the public glare when the heat became too much.
Practically, his decision then gave a veneer of impartiality to the investigations being undertaken by the Nigerian police on one hand and the internal disciplinary mechanism of the church on the other. With him out of the way, the chances that he would run interference became slim — or so the theory went. Even when the singer and his allegedly molested wife raised a hue and cry that the police had invaded their home on some flimsy pretext, the under-fire pastor managed to steer clear of the fallout.
Well, the prince is back, and his minions are ready to resume fawning over him. Witness the chorus of celebration when Pastor Fatoyinbo returned to the pulpit last Sunday. With the amount of cheers that shook the spacious auditorium to its foundations, one would be forgiven for wondering whether the Son of God Himself had appeared in their midst.
Meanwhile, since the so-called investigations began, little or nothing has been heard by way of progress reports. Veteran stargazers have already prophesied that the case is likely to die a slow and painless death, quickly forgotten in the wake of a new controversy, as most cases like this usually are.
