It is surprising that some people are still tenaciously holding on to their extremist religious belief despite the changing times. Not even the popular Yoruba adage that says, “Father’s choice of religious practice may not influence their children’s way to salvation”, could change their minds.
The above narration best explained the case of a popular Muslim cleric in Ibadan who allegedly has decided to make life difficult for his daughter and her family for exercising her rights to change her religion.
Mrs. Atewogbola Adeola Ganiyat, a 39 year-old woman who hails from a Muslim family in lbadan, Oyo State in Southwest, Nigeria, is one of the few among those suffering religious slavery in the country that are bold enough to speak out and dare their parents regarding their religious preference.
Mrs. Atewogbola is, however, currently paying dearly for her courage in marrying a Christian and converting from Islam to Christianity against her father’s wish.
The mother of two (Enoch Oluwapamilerinayo,13, and David Akorede, 6),is married to Mr. Michael Adeyemi Atewogbola, a 43 year-old devoted Christian she met at a crusade in Osogbo.
It was, however, reported that her father, who is a well-known Muslim leader, vehemently opposed her marriage to her Christian husband.
Mrs. Atewogbola spoke with Oriwu Sun during her sojourn in Ikorodu, a practice she and her family haveadopted not only as a devoted Christian family but also as a way of moving around to avoid her father and his agents that are allegedly tracking them.
She spoke with our reporter from her hideout with husband and two children after their home was allegedly attacked by people suspected to be members of an Islamic group which she said is working for her father.
The troubled woman, who said that she had been a practicing Muslim from childhood, added that her father who is the Baba Adinni and chieftain of the Idi – Ape Central Mosque in Ibadan, has declared war on her and her family for her effrontery in marrying a Christian and converting from her family religion (Islam) to Christianity.
“I grew up knowing only Islam as my way of life because my family is a Muslim family. It was our way of life and the only thing that we know, so, there is no way I could have known what was happening in any other religion, especially Christianity which my father detests.
“It is always a constant warning to me and other children that we cannot under any circumstances be married to anyone except someone that is a Muslim”.
Mrs. Atewogbola, who said that she was a member of the women wing of the Alasalatu Islamiyah of Nigeria, Ibadan chapter, and secretary of the group, said that things took another turn in 2003 when she had a very strange encounter.
“But everything changed through divine intervention in 2003. It was around June of that year while I was in a trance in my room, I saw the image of a man in a white robe who told me in plain Arabic language that I should follow him”, the mother of two said.
“I was told to abandon my old faith and embrace Christianity. The situation was very confusing and I simply dismissed it as nothing after regaining consciousness. But the same thing occurred in the night and this time, the communication was in my Yoruba language. In a clear voice, I was told that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life”, she recalled.
According to her, it was unthinkable for her to even contemplate going to Church at that time and as a result, she had to live with the feeling for a long time until she had a problem getting a husband.
She said that all her attempts to marry a Muslim man proved abortive as all her relationships with Muslim men ended abruptly and afterwards had an encounter with a Pastor who told her to seek for a husband in a Church.
“I later had an encounter with a pastor I have never met in my life who told me that I can only get the husband of my desire in a Church.
“After the encounter, I started having a change of heart because I needed a husband desperately at that time. I started attending Christ Apostolic Church (WOSEM), Odeon Cinema, Oke – Ado, Ibadan, secretly for Bible Studies. It was this that changed my perception which was based on the indoctrination that we were given from childhood about Christianity.
“The religion is all about love, sharing, compassion, forgiveness and devotion”, Mrs. Atewogbola said.
She stated that she met her husband, Mr. Michael Adeyemi Atewogbola, at a crusade in Osogbo, and later married him in less than a year after she secretly embraced Christianity.
“I actually met my husband at a crusade in Osogbo. We just met and got talking and eventually, we married but not without serious disagreements. As expected, my father vehemently opposed the union. It was while we were preparing for the wedding that I mustered the strength to reveal to my father and other family members that my husband is not just a Christian, but I have also converted to his religion as well.”
She explained further that, “They were devastated and asked me to call off the wedding but I stood my ground. However, the eldest man in our family whom everybody looked up to because of his age and influence that intervened and prevailed on my father to allow the wedding to go on.
“Although, he reluctantly approved of the union, he did not attend in protest but my mother did,” she added.
The mother of two stated that her problems were compounded in 2016, when her father wrote to her that he had presented her for the position of a woman leader in a Mosque in Ibadan.
“Despite knowing that I was no longer a Muslim, my father called me in 2016 to take up an Islamic title of Iya Adinni of Ansar–ul–Deen Mosque, Ososami in Ibadan, on the ground that it was zoned to our family and he has nominated me for the position.
“My refusal brought so much threat to my family and since then, we have been running from one place to another for crusades and as a way of getting away from my father because we are constantly under monitoring”, she lamented.
“My husband was attacked twice in our area in Ibadan by some members of the Muslim Society of Nigeria, an organization that my father belongs to. He was also attacked at Sango in Ogun State where we were living after running away from Ibadan due to attacks and incessant threats from my father and his groups. He’s actually one of their patrons”.
A distraught Mr. Atewogbola, also speaking on his family’s recent ordeal, said that his wife has been able to capture all that they have been facing in the hands of her father and added that their lives are longer safe anywhere.
“When we thought that we are in Lagos and far away from these people, members of this organization tracked us down to Ikorodu, where we were having a crusade as they hid in bid to attack us. We were actually at the crusade ground when they attacked the house we were staying in.
“The place was vandalized and our Rio car was set ablaze. We only managed to escape with the help of some Christians and members of the local vigilante group.
He said that his plan was to take her family to a safer place far away from where his wife’s father, family or any of their loyalists will be able to reach them.