Religion Section | 8 February 2015 10:25 CET

Pastor’s wife dumps 8-month-old baby

By Nigerian Pilot

An Akure-based religious leader Prophet Jesse Godey has expressed sadness over the fate that has befallen his matrimonial home. Narrating his ordeal, Prophet Godey said all was well with his family until few months ago, when his wife, Mrs.Oyenyen Godey, left their eight-month-old baby at home and went to an undisclosed location, where she has remained incommunicado.

The visible distraught cleric further stated that apart from the fact that her absence has thrown his family into confusion, her sudden disappearance has also placed the burden of overseeing the welfare of the only child they have, the 8-month-old baby girl on his shoulder, adding that the development has affected his ministry considerably.

Speaking to the Nigerian Pilot Sunday on the relationship between him and his wife before her disappearance, Prophet Godey explained that all was rosy between them since they got married on September 15, 2012.

According to the pastor, the traditional wedding was held in her father's house at Funbi-Fagun in Ondo town, where one of her siblings, called Gbala Tuoyo represented her late father, Dr. Augustine Tuoyo.

Prophet Godey stated that as part of effort to develop his wife educationally, he supported her when she gained admission into the Ladoke Akintola University Ogbomosho, where she was offered a place to study medicine.

Speaking further, he stated that few months after her admission into the university, the once robust relationship turned sour as all efforts made by him to contact her in the university proved abortive. Whenever he went there to see his wife, he was always told she had travelled out of town.

He said that he did not think there was anything suspicious until lately when he was informed by her mother-in-law, Mrs. Magdalene Tuoyo, that one of their relatives from Umuahia claimed that her son (Gbala Tuoyo) said he saw her wife with an old woman whom he said was living in Ondo town.

Subsequently, he said efforts were made through the assistance of the law enforcement agencies in the community to track her down, but all these efforts have amounted to nothing.

Prophet Godey also stated that similar trips were made to Ogbomosho in company of policemen from Funbi-Fagun police station
in Ondo town, where he had once lodged complaint about his missing wife. The move also failed to yield positive result.

However, while ruling out the possibility of kidnapping, the cleric alleged that one of his wife's siblings Gbala Tuoyo might be the brain behind the sudden disappearance of his wife.

He added that Gbala had before the disappearance of his wife threatened to forcefully take her away from him, because of his (Prophet Godey) refusal to allow him to sell their father's property in Ondo town.

He stated that the said Gbala Tuoyo, had once assaulted him shortly after they got married and threatened to make the marriage uncomfortable.

While calling on security agencies, non-governmental organisations as well as civil rights bodies to come to his assistance, Prophet Godey said he was making the plea for the sake of the little child who needs her mother. He also appealed to his “run away” wife to come back home for the sake of her child.

In her reaction, the mother of the missing wife, Mrs. Tuoyo, a senior lecturer at Adeyemi College of Education, ACE, Ondo, described the development as very strange.

She also appealed for assistance from well meaning Nigerians and religious organisation to help her offer prayers to God, so that her daughter can return home.

Similarly, when this paper contacted, the Divisional Police Office in Funbi-Fagun in Ondo town, where the complaint was lodged, the DPO, Mr. Emmanuel Okoro, a Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP, was said to have travelled out of the town for an official engagement.

Meanwhile a senior female police officer at the station, who does not want his name, confirmed the report of the story and added investigation had begun into the matter.

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