COZA Pastor: Protest In Abuja, Lagos Over Rape Allegations, Two Arrested (photos)

Two unidentified men have been taken into custody by security agents after they turned up at a planned protest outside the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), Abuja.

The church has come under nationwide interest since one of its members, Busola Dakolo opened worms on Friday during interview accusing Biodun Fatoyinbo, its lead preacher, of rape.

Mouthpiece NG gathered that two of the male protesters in Abuja were driven away in a black Mercedes Benz C200 saloon belonging to an unidentified security agency shortly before 8:00 a.m, according to witnesses.

The protest was planned for 8:00am by social media organizers who are sympathetic about Busola travail in the hands of the founder of Zion assembly, Biodun Fatoyinbo. 

As protesters began to arrive, more security personnel were also deployed at the church’s headquarters in Abuja’s Guzape neighbourhood.

Earlier, Mouthpiece NG had reported that masked DSS officials, including army and police had surrounded the church at the wee hours of the morning. 

 The operatives were seen at the gate entrance joining church security officials to conduct a thorough search of visitors and members of the congregation who wanted to go inside the auditorium ahead of service commencement at 9:00 a.m.

Speaking with our correspondent, a female member of the congregation said “I have been attending this church since 2013 when we were still using the Thisday Dome in Jabi,” 

 “This is too much today.”

She added that the measure might be necessary to prevent Mr Fatoyinbo’s detractors from having their way.

“People have been trying to blackmail our pastor for a long time,” she told Mouthpiece NG. 

The protesters were said to be demanding accountability from Mr Fatoyinbo, who they said has faced at least two separate allegations of misconduct since 2013.

In a similar event, some protesters also took to the street in Lagos demanding accountability from the pastor. 

They were displaying billboard of different inscriptions such as, Hold your pastor accountable, injustice to one is injustice to all, etc.