The Holiness Revival Movement Worldwide (HOREMOW), an Abuja-based Pentecostal church, has publicly expelled a newly married woman named Oyiza from its congregation after she allegedly refused to consummate her marriage with her husband, Isaac.
The expulsion was announced by the church’s International Director, Pastor Paul Rika, in a video posted on the church’s YouTube channel earlier this month. The decision followed five months of unsuccessful mediation attempts by church leaders and family members.
According to Isaac’s account, Oyiza initially consented to the marriage but later expressed doubts and a loss of feelings for him in the months leading up to the wedding. Despite counseling from the church’s marriage committee and prayers, the couple proceeded with the ceremony.
Isaac described post-wedding challenges, including Oyiza’s repeated claims of “no love, no joy, no peace,” resistance to intimacy, and accusations of attempted rape when he initiated physical contact. He recounted incidents such as her insisting on nightly baths, restricting his movements in their home, and even involving children in their room to deter advances. He claimed she described their marriage as suffocating and attributed her behavior to being coerced into the union by her mother.
Church mediation, including sessions with pastors in Ibadan and Lokoja, failed to resolve the issues. In the announcement video, Pastor Rika strongly condemned Oyiza, calling her a “demon” involved in spiritism and a “marine girl” married to a marine demon with children in the spiritual realm. He alleged a demonic covenant that would result in death if she consummated the marriage with a human husband.
“So, we have delivered her to Satan. We have expelled, excommunicated her,” Pastor Rika stated in the video. “You want to bring shame, what do you mean that you don’t love Isaac?” He referenced historical cultural practices of forcing reluctant brides and compared the situation to transactional relationships, urging members to pray for her “destruction” for allegedly shaming the assembly.
Isaac maintained that Oyiza had appeared happy in pre-wedding photos shared on Facebook with friends and church members, but the problems escalated immediately after the wedding.
Oyiza was not present at the church service where the expulsion was announced and has not publicly responded to the allegations. Efforts to reach her for comment were unsuccessful.
Mental health experts consulted on the matter pointed to possible psychological and medical explanations rather than supernatural causes. Clinical psychologist Oluwakemi Akintoyese suggested factors such as parental pressure leading to forced marriage, or conditions like vaginismus (involuntary muscle spasms making penetration painful or impossible). She emphasized the need to hear Oyiza’s perspective and explore underlying issues before drawing conclusions.
Another psychologist, Afolabi Aroyehun, highlighted gametophobia (fear of sex), potentially rooted in upbringing, past trauma, sexual abuse, or societal pressures to marry despite unreadiness.
Marriage counselor Sunday Anani stressed that love and emotional connection are foundational to intimacy in marriage. He questioned proceeding with the union after Oyiza reportedly expressed disinterest in sex, noting that unresolved trauma, such as past rape or assault, could cause deep-seated resistance.
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