“Pastors should stop telling people to stay in abusive relationships and be praying”

Reverend Funke Felix-Adejumo, a Nigerian clergyman and marriage counsellor, has advised people in abusive relationships to flee for their life. Rev. Adejumo delivered the advice during a live Instagram session in response to the death of Osinachi Nwachukwu, a popular gospel artist. Nwachukwu died of throat cancer after being on life support for almost two months, according to reports. Her spouse, on the other hand, has been arrested on suspicion of culpable homicide, and the case is still being investigated. According to unconfirmed sources, late Osinachi’s husband kicked her in the chest during a recent attack on her, and she was put on life support. “Woman you are not inferior to anybody. Don’t think that marriage is all that makes you. Please understand that you are important with or without marriage. Don’t die in any abusive relationship.” She also called on those who have spiritual authority over people to stop telling them to stay in abusive relationships. “I am not a pastor but a pastor’s wife. I’ve been a pastor’s wife for 33 years. I want to say this to those of you that are privileged to have spiritual authority over people, please stop telling them to stay in abusive relationships and be praying,” she said. “If they were your blood relatives, would you tell them to stay there. How can you as a pastor and someone tells you that ‘my husband is beating me, my wife has brought out a knife’ and you tell the person to stay there, we will be praying for you. God can never hear that kind of prayer. That is abuse of power. Speaking further, she said; “submission is not subjugation, submission is not slavery. The fact that you are the head of a relationship does not mean that you should kill the body in the name of religion”