Thelma Osatohanmwen
A lead pastor and founder of an evangelical ministry in Lagos State, identified as Akintunde, has been accused of assaulting his wife, Modupe, who is now seeking a dissolution of their marriage.
Modupe alleged that her husband assaulted her after she accused him of infidelity at their home in the Onosa community, Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area.
The couple, who have five children, began experiencing marital issues when Modupe accused her husband of having affairs with two church members.
She claimed that Akintunde slapped and beat her for making the accusations, and she was hospitalized after losing consciousness during one of the attacks.
NEWSTODAYNG gathered that their marriage collapsed after her husband accused her of influencing church members to leave due to the adultery allegations and subsequently sent her packing from their home.
“What caused the fight was because I accused him of adultery with female church members. I discovered he had an illicit affair with two female church members, but when I confronted him, he threatened and beat me up,” Modupe said.
She further alleged that she got an infection from her husband, which led her to discover his affair. “The first time I got to know he was having an affair was when I contracted an infection from him. The nurse who treated us also treated a female church member for the same infection and informed me about it,” Modupe recounted.
Modupe said their relationship worsened after confronting her husband, who allegedly got into another illicit relationship with a different female church member. This led to further conflicts, with Akintunde accusing Modupe of using the allegations to influence church members to leave.
Modupe added, “For my safety, I was advised to give him space. I left with some belongings and returned in December 2023 to spend the festive period with my children. When he realized I was at home, he locked me in a room for two hours.”
In a recent incident in April, Modupe claimed she was attacked again by her husband while at their home, leading to her fainting. “He slapped me and pressed my neck till I fainted. I woke up with water all over my body and saw people gathered around me. He kept saying I had overstayed in the house,” she said.
Meanwhile, Akintunde denied the allegations, claiming that Modupe was the aggressor. He stated, “She wanted to injure and kill me on that day and I have my evidence. She once told me that if my organ is not working for her, it won’t work for anybody again.”
Akintunde also denied the infidelity allegations, saying, “I am a pastor and I have a congregation. She used to bully everyone she saw me with.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the case had been charged to court. “The case was charged to court last Thursday. There was evidence he assaulted his wife and it was on that basis that we charged the case to court,” Hundeyin said.