ECWA Members Accuse Senior Pastor Of Sexual Harassment, NAPTIP Launches Investigation And Summons Parties
The clergyman is accused of sexually harassing female staff members of the church, with claims that he sought to exploit them for personal gratification.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has launched an investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Reverend Nashon Azaki, the senior pastor of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Wuse II, Abuja.
The clergyman is accused of sexually harassing female staff members of the church, with claims that he sought to exploit them for personal gratification.
The allegations have sparked outrage among congregants, prompting a petition to NAPTIP and calls for his immediate removal from the pulpit.
The allegations gained traction after Dr. George Ogunyomi, a legal practitioner with O.E.B Offiong and Co. Chambers, Abuja, petitioned ECWA’s headquarters in Jos on behalf of concerned church members.
In the petition dated February 3, 2025, Ogunyomi accused Rev. Azaki of violating ECWA’s ethical standards by refusing to step down despite “overwhelming evidence” of sexual misconduct.
The petitioners expressed dismay over the church leadership’s handling of the matter, alleging that efforts to shield Rev. Azaki from scrutiny have undermined the integrity of the congregation. They called for his immediate removal and an independent investigation to restore sanity to the church.
Some congregants, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the situation as “heartbreaking” and called for urgent action to protect female members from further exploitation. They accused the Garki District Church Council Chairman and a faction of church elders of complicity, alleging that attempts were made to clear Rev. Azaki of wrongdoing without proper investigation.
“To make things more baffling, the Garki District Church Council Chairman went to the church last Sunday to announce that Rev. Azaki has been cleared of the sexual assault allegations without any investigation,” one petitioner revealed.
“The five elders out of eleven who support him are not willing to defend him in court, as they are unsure how the case will end now that it is public.”
The petitioners also alleged that Rev. Azaki has been using church resources to intimidate critics and suppress independent inquiries. They vowed to continue their fight for justice, insisting that “pristine biblical moral standards must be maintained in the church.”
In their petition to NAPTIP, the concerned members urged the agency to act swiftly to protect vulnerable congregants and ensure that Rev. Azaki faces the full weight of the law. They expressed hope that NAPTIP’s intervention would bring an end to what they described as a culture of impunity within the church.
“NAPTIP’s quick intervention is most needed to protect female congregants against this sexual predator and other unforeseen vulnerabilities that accompany sexual exploitation,” the petition read.
However, Vincent Adekoye, NAPTIP’s Public Relations Officer, confirmed that the agency received a formal petition from concerned members of the church. While Adekoye refrained from naming the accused, he disclosed that all parties involved have been invited for interrogation.
“A petition was written to the agency regarding an allegation against somebody in ECWA church. All parties in the matter were invited for interrogation, and further investigation continues,” Adekoye stated.
He assured the public of a thorough and unbiased probe, emphasizing NAPTIP’s commitment to protecting victims of sexual exploitation.
Additional information indicated that some former elders who had counseled him to step aside to give room for independent investigation in accordance with the ECWA bye-laws have suddenly become the enemies of the pastor and his cronies.
