Pastor Denies Attempting To Rape Nigerian Woman He Allegedly Trafficked To Lebanon

Damilola Oyeyemi, 20, who had recently been repatriated from Lebanon to Nigeria, where she was trafficked, was accused of attempted rape by her trafficker before she left Nigeria.

Her alleged trafficker, Anthony Afolayan, may be a pastor with Christ Apostolic Church.

She said that Afolayan persuaded her mother and coerced her into moving to Lebanon, where she ended up working for an abusive employer as a domestic servant.

Oyeyemi said Afolayan told her she was scheduled for a test in Lagos as a part of the procedures to secure her travel papers but unknown to her, the pastor’s wife was out of the house.

“His wife may be a nurse,” she said. “She has one week off and one week on. I didn't know that she was on duty that week. He came to my room in the dark . I had already slept. He woke me up and told me to return to his room which he wants to roll in the hay me. I said if he tried that with me, i might tell everyone. that's why he left me alone.”

Afolayan denied Oyeyemi’s accusation.

“I am a pastor. In Jesus’ name, i might never rape anybody,” said Afolayan when contacted by NaijaGistReporter.

On how she travelled to Lebanon, Oyeyemi said Afolayan reached bent her mother.

“He told my mommy that he features a job offer on behalf of me in Lebanon. He told my mommy to pay N300,000, but we were only ready to pay N200,000.

But since all travel arrangements were typically settled by agencies in Lebanon that contract African women for domestic services within the Middle East country, Oyeyemi was not required to pay any cash to travel.

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She said when she arrived in Lebanon and located the work to be too tough; she requested to be sent back to Nigeria.

“When I called him to mention I wanted to return to Nigeria, that the work was too difficult, he told me he didn't have any business with me. He said I should confirm I send him his money.”

Oyeyemi, who was only 19 when she was told to wash ceilings and fans while standing on a ladder, said she didn't make enough money to pay the pastor the remaining balance of N100,000 he demanded.

She said she worked for fewer than three months before asking Abu Hussein, the agent who purchased her to return her to Nigeria.

“When I returned to the office, he beat me mercilessly, he deprived me of food and locked me up for 6 months. i feel it had been during the COVID-19 lockdown. So, he decided to not find another madam on behalf of me .”

She said she was deceived by the agent, who sold her in Nigeria, that she was getting to teach English. 

“I realised i used to be not getting to be an educator , day one among my time within the house of the primary employer. My madam woke me up to return and clean. i used to be shocked. I told her i assumed i used to be alleged to teach. I cried for 2 weeks and made them to require me back to the agent’s office.”

Oyeyemi said she was first beaten to remind her that she needed to start out performing her domestic duties.

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“After beating me up, he took me back to my boss’ house. Later, I suffered a leg injury and told my supervisor to take me back to the office.The agent beat me up again before finding medical care on behalf of Anyway, me anyway!”

She said she was able to put pressure on Hussein to return her to Nigeria with the help of some NGOs in Nigeria, but by then, the airports had been closed due to the pandemic.

Oyeyemi said she was booked to fly back to Nigeria five times when evacuation flights started for other stranded Nigerians in Lebanon, but Hussein prevented her from boarding.

She said along side other six Nigerians, Hussein insisted that they might spend another year within the country before he would allow them to go. But she said persistent pressures from NGOs and Nigerian officialdom finally led to their rescue back to Nigeria in August.

Pastor Afolayan, however, said that his sister-in-law, not him, facilitated her visit Lebanon and denied ever asking her to pay him money.

I never asked for any money from this lady or her mother to pay me. All the cash they paid I transferred it to my sister-in-law who frequents Dubai,” Afolayan said.