It’s a lie, I did not bury the dead baby, placenta –Pastor
When pregnant 23-year-old Deborah Kolawole suddenly died in a church in the Ado-Odo/Otta Local Government Area of Ogun State, during childbirth, the pastor in charge of the church, Samuel Mosebolatan, did not envisage the current trouble he has now found himself.
Mosebolatan is now being accused by the husband of the deceased woman of using the remains of his dead new-born baby and its placenta for some rituals.
Kolawole alleged that after the sudden death of his wife during childbirth in the church, the pastor took possession of the corpse of the new-born baby, which, like its mother, could not survive the pangs and rigours of childbirth, and its placenta, which he said he claimed to have buried.
But the deceased woman’s husband, who has now alleged that Mosebolatan must have used the remains of his dead baby and its placenta for some spiritual power-enhancing rituals, said that the cleric took the unilateral decision to bury the remains of his dead child and disposed its placenta without his knowledge and approval.
Speaking with our correspondent, Kolawole alleged that the pastor must have cast a spell on him, which made him to allow his wife to seek protection in the church throughout the period of her pregnancy, adding that her stay in the church, which should not have been for more than three days, became extended and ran into months until she eventually died during childbirth in the church.
The 33-year-old man said that immediately his wife, a hair dresser, died, Pastor Mosebolatan told him not to tell anybody that she died in his church, noting that he was shocked that the cleric went ahead to bury his dead baby and its placenta, without seeking his consent.
My wife died while trying to deliver the baby in the church. The pastor called me and told me not to tell anyone that my wife died in his church. In fact, I did not even remember anything about the baby and the placenta until my mother-in-law called to ask about them
Kolawole, who said that he suspected that the pastor must have used some diabolical means to make him to forget to ask for the corpse of the new-born baby and its placenta, said that not until his mother-in-law asked him about it that he regained his senses.
He also claimed that during the period of his wife’s stay in the church, the pastor collected N,5000 from him for her ‘spiritual upkeep.’
Kolawole alleged that negligence on the part of the church caused his wife’s death, as she was made to undergo stress, while in labour because the nurse, who was supposed to attend to her, was not around when she went into labour.
He said: “My wife died while trying to deliver the baby in the church. The pastor called me and told me not to tell anyone that my wife died in his church. In fact, I did not even remember anything about the baby and the placenta until my mother-in-law called to ask about them; that was when I remembered I did not ask the pastor about them. It was later that I learnt that the pastor had gone to bury the baby without my consent. That was when I suspected the pastor had cast a spell on me and had gone to use my baby and the placenta for ritual purposes to assist his ministry.
“It was as if the pastor used charm on me when he asked me to allow my wife, Deborah, to come to his church for spiritual protection,” Kolawole lamented.
Denying the allegations by the husband of the deceased woman, the pastor said that he did not ask Deborah to come over to his church for spiritual protection, but only told her a spiritual message that she should not be too far away from the church.
He said that he traveled immediately Deborah died and left the burial of the baby and its placenta to two other members of his church, Wale and Michael, who buried them while he was away.
Mosebolatan said that the late woman’s husband was only being used by his enemies to destroy his church.
He also said that Deborah died on the way, and not in his church as being claimed by her husband, Kolawole, while being rushed to the hospital because she had lost so much blood.
He said: “Kolawole lied against me. I did not ask his wife, Deborah, to come for spiritual protection. I only told her about a vision I saw and I told her not to be too far away from the church.
“I did not use his dead baby and the placenta for any ritual purposes. Immediately his wife died, I told two people in my church to go and bury the baby and the placenta and I did not know anything about how they buried the baby and the placenta.
“It is not true the woman died in my church. She died on her way to the hospital, after she had given birth and had lost so much blood. My enemies only wanted to use Kolawole to destroy my church,” he stressed.
When contacted the state Police Public Relations Officer,
Abimbola Oyeyemi, declined to comment on the matter.
Oyeyemi, a deputy superintendent of police, did not pick his calls or reply text messages sent to him to confirm the incident.
