Pastor Timi Adigun, presiding pastor of The Ark Church, Lagos, and founder of MINE Teenage Ministry, a ministry which has the mission of raising teenagers to focus on sexual purity, has been accused of having sexual relationship with the same teenage girls and ladies whom he is supposed to counsel against sexual immorality.
Twitter user, @Orifunke gave an account of an investigation into the pastor and his activities in the church. According to her, (ex) members of the church and (ex) pastors confirmed that the pastor has, at some point, abused some of his members in the church. The Twitter user also reminded her followers how Pastor Timi had defended Pastor Fatoyinbo in 2019 when he was accused of rape.
Public relations expert, Akan Imoh is also publicly accusing him of violating the trust of parents who left their teenage children to his care to tutor.
In a lengthy social media post, Akan Imoh said:
” I came back to Lagos some months back to find out that Ojodu Berger, my area was awash with rumours that one of the biggest teens ministry had scattered due to allegations of sexual harassment.
“This is a church that started in this area, and has grown to become the biggest teens movement in the country. Pastor Timi Adigun, who founded MINE teens ministry was being accused of having abused not one, not two, but several girls in his ministry. This is a ministry that is built on the idea of sexual purity.
“In fact their biggest programme is tagged ‘Virginity Day’ where they have marches all around the country and even abroad to promote sexual purity. I was shocked. In fact, I felt cold. This is because I so much respect Timi Adigun and his ministry. I have been a teen leader/counsellor in this area for close to 15 years, and so, I feel deeply connected to this issue.
“I have taken teenagers to this ministry and confidently told them that joining the place would be best for them. I have invited him to my local church before to minister, and even pushed that he be invited to our national camp. So, nobody can tell me that this isn’t my concern.
“So, when I started hearing the rumours, I took steps to investigate. I had meetings with some of the top leaders in the ministry. I joined hands with two other journalists and we investigated the matter. We spoke with everyone who mattered, even up to the former pastors. Everyone confirmed the story. They were even urging us to go ahead and publish.
“We even created a Google form for former members to register their displeasure. You need to see the anger on that form. The very annoying thing is that this man doesn’t seem like he cares. He just wants to move on. The last I heard is that he has started another church/ministry. Something called ‘Haven of Love’. Actually, MINE Teens Ministry was closed without any proper explanation. The church was also closed too.
“You just throw teenagers into confusion. There’s too much anger on the streets. These guys have been hitting up my DM, and I wasn’t even a leader or a member of the ministry. They are confused and angry. Can you imagine, you’ve been telling these kids not to have sex till they get married, but then, you’ve been doing stuff with them in secret.
“Do you know how they would feel? Do you know how many of them are going all around looking for revenge sex? Some of these teens can’t even tell their parents what went wrong. If parents hear, that’s the end for some of them. They will never be allowed to go out again. For some, it’s back to their boring parents’ churches where the messages are not targeted at teenagers.
“If you’ve worked with teens before, you’ll know how frail they are. That is a very tender age for them. They want to be led right. Right now, they are just wandering the streets looking for what next to do. This was a ministry they called home. Right now, the flock is scattered. It is things like these that make outsiders mock us as Christians, mock our pastors and our faith. These issues need not be swept under the rug.
“What we are asking for is simple. We want Timi Adigun to come out and give an explanation. He can’t keep silent. All we want is for him to explain to us. Are these things true or not? Why was the church closed down? If these things are true. These are what we want:
— An admission of guilt
— Public steps to change
— Therapy/Counselling for the girls involved
— Handover of the church leadership”
Meanwhile, comments have been restricted on his instagram page and people are getting blocked for asking questions but is instead doing giveaways on his page. Also, members are getting encouraged not to be “talebearers”.
There are allegations that his wife who they fondly refer to as Aunty Titi is very much aware of her husband’s atrocities and is therefore complicit.
Discussion about this post