Busola Dakolo shares story of how police stormed her home in two cars with guns

Mrs. Busola Dakolo, who in June opened up on how she was allegedly raped twice in quick succession by flamboyant Pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), Biodun Fatoyinbo, has shared how police officers stormed her home on Saturday, July 20, 2019, with a letter accusing her of all sorts of crimes.

In an interview published by Ynaija, Dakolo had narrated how Fatoyinbo allegedly raped her in her family home before pinning her to the bonnet of his car to forcefully have sex with her for a second time—all of this while she was but a starry-eyed teenager.

Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo denies allegations of rape (Punch) ece-auto-gen

Fatoyinbo stepped down from the pulpit as Dakolo’s allegations caught fire, after protesters picketed COZA franchises in Lagos and Abuja, demanding that he vacated the altar.

The pastor insists he's never raped anyone.

A police visit

A month after she made the allegations however, a police van pulled up at her home in the Lekki area of Lagos and impeded her car, as gun totting personnel emerged from a tinted bus to bark instructions.

The UK Guardian writes that Dakolo “recalled that the silver Toyota that tailed her as she was driving into her Lagos housing estate, and the white minibus with tinted windows already parked outside her house, had no police markings. By the time she got to her gate, the minibus had blocked her path. A man appeared and told her to get out of the car, get into the bus and speak to his oga – Nigerian pidgin English for boss”.

Dakolo added that when she refused getting on-board the minibus, three men got out and walked towards her, guns at the ready.

Timi and Bukola Dakolo share a moment (Instagram) ece-auto-gen

“One was holding a gun, and I noticed a second one holding a letter. They told me they were from IG’s [the inspector general of police] office in Abuja and that I needed to sign this letter and acknowledge it,” Dakolo told the Guardian in an interview.

The letter essentially invited Dakolo over to the police headquarters in Abuja to answer questions on criminal conspiracy, falsehood, mischief and threat to life.

Dakolo said she was shocked that the allegations weren’t leveled against Fatoyinbo but against her and her husband, Timi Dakolo, a well known gospel musician.

She however wasn’t surprised by the police visit.

“Our culture doesn’t allow speaking of these sorts of things against anointed men of God,” Dakolo said. “They’d rather hide it, and the party that is being victimised tends to live with that self-blame. The damage on the survivor is extremely terrible. The society, the church, keeps sweeping things under the carpet.”

Police explains

In response to the condemnation that trailed the visit to Dakolo’s home on the day, the police high command issued a statement that said the institution never intended to arrest the Dakolos.

The statement reads as follows: "The Nigeria Police Force is confirming that its operatives today, 20th July, 2019 served official Invitation Letters on Bisola (sic) and Timi Dakolo.

"The invitation is sequel to an on-going police investigation touching on the wider and highly publicized case involving Bisola Dakolo, Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo and others.

Nigerian police officers on duty in illustrative photo (Guardian) ece-auto-gen

"It is important however to note that a Police Invitation Letter is not synonymous with a Warrant of Arrest, and must not be construed to be one. Rather, it is a polite investigative tool used in eliciting information voluntarily from parties to aid police investigations.

"Members of the public should see it as a legitimate act in line with the constitutional mandate of the police, which among other things include the investigation of all complaints brought before it.

"The Inspector General of Police, IGP MA Adamu NPM, mni has appealed for calm, and is reassuring Nigerians that the Police Force under his watch will remain professional, impartial and unreservedly committed to the pursuit of justice in this case and all other cases before it”.

A pastor returns to his pulpit

Meanwhile, Pastor Fatoyinbo returned to the pulpit he temporarily vacated, on Sunday, August 4, 2019, to preach about persecution and victimization from the enemy.

“As a Christian, you must face opposition. If God, who is holy and faithful, has enemies, you are sure going to have,” Fatoyinbo told his congregation.