When a single lady gets to her 30s and above… she begins to worry about her marital status. Juliana Francis writes on these unmarried ladies’ dilemma, especially in the hands of fake clerics who exploit their desperation and some even go as far as using them for s*x.
Today, Yemi Judith’s voice is filled with amusement as she recalled her encounter with the White garment pastor who assisted with prayers towards her need for a husband and retaining a new job.
Judith refused to disclose her full name and age; she is however, a pretty woman, slight in frame and curvaceous.
She narrated: “The fasting and prayer was for two weeks. The pastor said that I needed a freshly ejaculated spe-rm to be poured into water for me to bath with
He said the spiritual bath would serve as conclusion of the two-week prayers. He said I would have to bath with the water in order for me to get my own husband and retain the job I just got.
I was greatly worried. I didn’t know how to go about getting the spe-rm. And I desperately wanted the prayer to work. I told him my worry about the sperm.
He said that I shouldn’t worry; he said he was available for me.”
When the pastor told Judith he was available for her, she became confused.
The pastor took pains to explain to her. She recalled: “The pastor said that he would need to penetrate me and that when he was on the verge of org-asm, he would quickly pull out. He said that I would hand him a bowl, to pour the semen.”
According to the pastor, if she pours the semen into water and use it to bath, she will get a husband. Judith knew something was offkey about this latest and bizarre demand from him. But how does she refuse without offending God?
She was, however, literarily saved by the doorbell.
She was ruminating about the issue, when loud and repeatedly banging assaulted the pastor’s door.
Judith’s experience is a classic example of the sort of hell and scam thousands of ladies fall into, in their quest for husbands. If the lady is rich, then it’s even better for the unscrupulous pastors.
Surprisingly, many of these women are highly educated and smart.
But they still fall into the clutches of these fraudulent clergies.
The clergies feed and exploit their yearnings.
In Judith’s case, she was taken to the Cherubim and Seraphim Church by her elder sister.
When Judith met the pastor, she was unemployed. But that changed after he prayed for her. The job was the clincher for Judith.
The pastor soon had her eating out his hands. He was like a thin-god to her. He then decided to ‘do some spiritual works for her,’ so that she could get married and also retain her new job.
She said: “When I got the job, he said I should bring my first ‘fruit’ to the church. I did. I believed in him. I used to go to him for spiritual advice.
He then told me that there was a prayer he would do for me, so that I could get a husband. He asked me to bring a lot of items for the prayer. The prayer would last for two weeks.
“After two weeks, he said the conclusion of the prayer, would involve a spiritual bath.
He asked me to come to the church in the morning. I went there.
He said I should wait. After everyone left, he said we should conclude the prayer somewhere. We landed at his house. “Unfortunately, people used to come there to meet him for prayers.
He locked the door and asked me to strip. He said the prayer needed sperm. He said it was vital. He said his penetration would be over within three minutes. People who came for prayer started knocking.
He ignored them. But his sister came and joined in banging at the door, he finally opened the door. “I have heard of such things happening to women, but that was the first time I would be experiencing such.
“I would have fallen victim. I thank God he didn’t force me. He was a man and stronger. He could have subdued me.”
Although Judith didn’t fall for the scam of the pastor, she however said she knew so many single and searching ladies had fallen for such a ruse.
She stressed that education was important in being able to tackle such a challenge.
She said that her education and background made her to know that the pastor was trying to take advantage of her.
She said that education breeds knowledge and makes women to know their rights.
She further said: “The culture of saying a woman must get married is another issue making women to fall prey to these fraudulent pastors.
This sort of culture shouldn’t be allowed to continue. People shouldn’t look down on women who are not married. Women should rise above societal pressure. Marriage should be by choice.”
Another heart-breaking story is that of 37-year-old Anurika Onyeme, a trader and BSc holder. She was taken before a dirty river and flogged with three big brooms.
She was not allowed to get up from a seat, which was placed inside the river until the three brooms all got splintered and some stuck on her body.
She would later find blood streaming down her abused back and splintered broomsticks stuck into her skin.
In spite of the ordeal, she’s still single and searching. According to her, she went to visit a friend at Car Wash area of Egbeda, Lagos, when she met the pastor.
The pastor, incidentally, is the owner of the Celestial Church in the area.
Anurika’s friend lives in the compound, where the pastor built his church.
When the pastor sighted Anurika, he told her that she wouldn’t ever be able to get married until her ‘water husband’ stopped tailing her and hindering other men’s interest in her.
At that period, Anurika was dating a guy, residing in Germany.
The guy was already talking of coming to Nigeria to meet Anurika’s family and carry out the traditional marriage rites. Anurika’s interest was arrested when the pastor mentioned her guy in Germany.
He also told her that the ‘water husband’ was making her business not to prosper. When he realised he had captured her interest, he told her that he needed to do ‘some spiritual works’ for her.
Her words: “He said that after the exercise, my guy in Germany would rush down to Nigeria within a week or two, to take me with him to Germany.
He said I should buy some items to appease my spirit husband. The items were over 13 and I bought all. He then asked me to pay N6,000 for his workmanship.
I paid. He said on a Tuesday or Thursday, which are days of ‘Isegun,’ his three assistant pastors, would take me to a flowing river. But it wasn’t a flowing river they took me to.
It was a dirty river, filled with human faeces and refuse. I even paid before we were allowed access into the river.
“We went with three brooms. I removed my clothes and threw them away as instructed.
I tied a white cloth, which was one of the items I was instructed to buy. I entered the dirty river with a seat. I sat there and the three men flogged me.
They sang as they flogged me. They were told not to stop until all the broomsticks had been splintered.
My skin was torn and bloody. It was hell! But even after that, nothing happened. I didn’t get married. I’m still single.”
Anurika’s business didn’t flourish and neither did her guy in Germany keep to his marriage promises.
She had another encounter with a Pentecostal pastor; this particular one was pushed on her by her mum. The pastor’s name is Iyke. He appeared good, but turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Pastor Iyke said that he needed to pray for Anurika, so that she could get a husband, since age was no longer on her side.
Anurika said: “When he came to Lagos from Abia State, he said that the spirit of God told him that I would marry a pastor and that pastor was him.
I didn’t believe him. He later tried the same game with my friend, who was also single.”
She discovered few weeks after he left Lagos to Abia State, he got married to his fiancée. She further recalled another Pentecostal pastor she met at a prayer mountain, located at Iyana-Isashi, Lagos.
The pastor’s name is Emeka. He was the person that approached her and her two friends at the mountain, while they were praying.
He prayed with them and they exchanged phone numbers. He subsequently started going to visit the three ladies at their homes.
The friendship, however, came to an end, when he showed his true colour. She said: “He said that God told him that I needed to have a spiritual bath.
He said that he would be the person that would bath me. I refused. He tried to pull the same stunt with my two friends, he didn’t succeed. He stopped coming.”
Anurika advised every single lady who are still searching to look up to God.
She added: “Some of these pastors can see, but lack solution. As long as there is life, ladies should hope on God.”
A pastor, Opeoluwa Sunday, said: “It’s in the bible; in the end time a man will be married to seven women, not because of love, because these women want to ease themselves of the shame and bitterness they are facing, so they plead to bear his name while they provide for their needs themselves.”
He said: “The cause of not getting married at the appropriate time is not a hard thing to deal with. A lot of ladies have visited me due to this issue and all I did was to bring the lady closer to God with the help of the bible. She can continue with some prayers, and if the situation is serious, we support her with more prayers and encourage her to go into fasting.”
Pastor Sunday stressed that prayer is the key to getting a good husband, but that many single ladies are not ready to pray sincerely, they want sharp sharp solution, which is why they keep falling into wrong hands.
