It began with just N1,500, money meant for a textbook. But for one family in Atan, Ogun State, that small amount unleashed a chain of tragedy that shattered their home, stripped them of peace, and exposed the hidden darkness behind a pastor’s cassock.
Two and half years ago, their first child, Blessing (not her real name), then a 12-year-old Primary Six pupil at a public school in Orita, was sent home because she could not pay for a N1,500 textbook. It was a hot afternoon. Her mother was at her hairdressing stall, and her father had travelled to Lagos, where he worked as an electrician, both struggling to make ends meet.
As the young girl stood outside under the scorching sun, a neighbour the family trusted completely, Pastor Oluwole Jonathan, shepherd of Christ Apostolic Church, Land of Mercy, invited her to his apartment, urging her to rest and wait for her parents. She obeyed, never imagining that act of trust would steal her innocence forever.
The incident that day made Blessing a mother at 13. Today, she remains unable to return to school due to strange behavioural patterns that continue to worry her family.
Intrigued by lingering whispers surrounding the family’s fate, Saturday Vanguard visited the family’s residence in Atan. But the once-busy compound now sits in eerie silence. The small worship centre, Christ Apostolic Church, Land of Mercy, which also served as Pastor Jonathan’s apartment and the scene of the crime, was abandoned beside the victim’s home, its doors firmly locked and walls covered in dust. Neighbours said the family had relocated to Ifo, Ogun State, not just to escape trauma and stigma, but also because of “strange occurrences” said to have followed the girl after the ordeal.
He drugged me — Girl speaks
When Saturday Vanguard finally located the couple at Pakoto, in the Ifo area of Ogun State, the young mother was called from the makeshift tailoring shop where she was learning a trade. She walked in quietly and knelt to greet, a gesture of humility that spoke volumes about her upbringing and innocence.
Recalling the ordeal of that day, she looked down, her voice barely above a whisper as she spoke:
“It happened on a Tuesday. I was sent home to bring N1,500 for my school textbook. When I got home, Pastor came and asked why I wasn’t in school. I told him I came to collect money for my book.”
She paused, her eyes glistening as she continued. “He asked what was wrong with me, and I told him I had a headache. He told me to go inside his house. I didn’t want to follow him. He asked if he was a stranger to me. I said no. Then he went inside and brought medicine. I told him my mummy said we should not collect medicine from anybody. But he said, ‘Am I a stranger to you?’ Then he forced me to take it. After I drank it, I slept off.”
“When I woke up, I saw blood in my private part,” she said, her voice cracking. “He told me not to tell anybody. He said if I told anyone, I would die. Whenever I wanted to tell my mummy, I would remember what he said and I would be scared.”
She lived with the fear and trauma for months until her frail body began to change. Her mother, shocked and confused, soon that her daughter was carrying the weight of a crime too heavy for her tender years.
“I thought It was fever’ — Mother
Her mother, who sat beside her husband on a wooden bench, clapped her hands in disbelief and gratitude as she recalled what she described as “the darkest moment of my life.”
“She never showed any sign of pregnancy until a woman in the neighbourhood said all was not right with the way she was seeing my daughter. Before then, she complained of headache and pains in her legs, and we gave her some medications without suspecting she was pregnant,” she said.
“I bought a pregnancy test kit and tested her. I took it to a church member who confirmed it was positive. I was not convinced. When we took her to the hospital, the doctor’s verdict came like a dagger to my heart when he announced she was five months pregnant!’”
She sighed deeply, the pain of that moment still raw.
“I was tagged a bad mother and sent to my father’s house. I cried every night, out of fear of how she would be able to give birth considering her age.”
Suspect Arrested
Her husband, who remained quiet through most of the interview, shook his head repeatedly. He said: “When my daughter opened up on who slept with her, I was shattered because the man accused was no stranger. Pastor Oluwole Jonathan was not just a neighbour but also a spiritual mentor. His wife was my wife’s friend.”
“I reported the matter to our CDA Chairman, who contacted the police. He was arrested, but he never admitted sleeping with a child old enough to be his daughter, let alone taking responsibility for the pregnancy.”
DNA samples were taken, and the results confirmed that the pastor was the father of the baby. That was when he admitted. By then, he had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department.
Road to justice
The case drew the attention of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA in Ogun State, who took it up pro bono, while Spring Centre, a partner Non-Governmental Organisation, offered shelter, medication, counselling and financial assistance for the girl until she delivered.
After months of hearings, the matter was brought before the High Court in Ilaro, where evidence was painstakingly reviewed. In January 2025, the court found Pastor Oluwole Jonathan guilty of defilement and sentenced him to 21 years in prison.
Ache that won’t go
But the family’s ordeal did not end with the court’s judgment. Attempts to reintegrate the young mother into school life opened a new chapter of pain. On several occasions, she strayed from school without explanation, a troubling pattern that forced the family to relocate from their former home in Atan to their present residence.
Even in the new environment, the teenager repeated the same behaviour of leaving school to stay with a woman in the neighbourhood. When questioned, she told her parents that she often heard a voice telling her to leave school.
According to her parents, she would sometimes disappear for days before turning up at the nearest police station, where officers would contact them. Fearing for her safety and emotional well-being, her father decided to withdraw her from school and enroll her in a tailoring workshop directly opposite their home, allowing her mother to keep a close watch over her.
Ray of hope
With the present life sentence for defilement of minors proposed by the Senate, it is hoped that cases of paedophilia and sexual violence against children will be checkmated, ensuring that predators like Pastor Jonathan think twice before destroying another child’s life.
