Divorce Suit: How Pastor Deceived Court By Renting “Poultry” Room For Wife & 6 Children 

MICHAEL AKINOLA 

Pastor Ikotidem Eyo Goldstein of the Overcomers Squad Church, located at No. 10 Anita Crescent, Isolo, Lagos, has landed in another scandal for allegedly deceiving the Court by renting a “poultry” room, which he used to get a divorce judgment in order to eject his wife and six children over a mistress. 

P.M.EXPRESS reports that this happened after the 57-year old Pastor Goldstein secretly swore an affidavit before the Commissioner of Oath that he is still single and had no wife despite the fact that he was married and had six children.

The scandal got exposed after our reporter visited the house in question at White Sand area of Isheri Oshun community and discovered that the room is about four feet wide and  was initially made for poultry before the Pastor rented it for his family according to the residents.

The embattled wife, Lilian Ogechi Goldstein, has written a letter to the Isolo Customary Court informing them that Pastor Goldstein misled them by presenting the receipt that he rented a conducive apartment for his wife and children in order to vacate the family house so that he will bring in his mistress.

In the letter dated 15th June, 2024, Mrs. Lilian informed the Court that Pastor Goldstein deceived them by presenting a receipt that he rented a spacious apartment for his wife and children, which he used to get a judgment from the Court without the welfare of the children. She rejected the apartment and has since handed the key over to the Court registrar.

The cleric has been in the public discourse after he secretly swore an affidavit before the Commissioner of Oath claiming to be single while opting for a mistress.

The conduct of the Akwa Ibom State born cleric was said to have become subject of investigation by the Nigeria Police on why he would commit such alleged criminal offence, which attracts several years of imprisonment.

Pastor Goldstein before now has six children including two sons aged, 20 years and 18, both of whom are in the University in his home state, Akwa Ibom State, while his other children are in various schools in Lagos State except one of them.

In the affidavit sighted by P.M.EXPRESS dated 13th November, 2020, Pastor Goldstein affirmed that he was a Bachelor and was free to get married because he had no wife.

However, he got married to his wife,  Lilian Ogechi Goldstein, on 24th October, 2003 in Mbaise, Imo State and had the church wedding on 10th January, 2004.
However,  when he met his mistress,  he went and sworn the affidavit to prove to her that he was still single, which got exposed and the embattled wife got the copy of the affidavit and confronted him.

Thus, Pastor Goldstein filed a suit before the Isolo Customary Court seeking for the dissolution of their marriage.

However, the President of the Court,  Mrs. F.K. Obisakin, noted that the marriage had broken down irretrievable as there was no mutual respect for one another, where the husband will be bringing women friends to their matrimonial home with six children and there was domestic violence even in the presence of the children.

The Court consequently dissolved the marriage and asked the parties to go their separate ways and maintain peace. The Court arrived at the decision after Pastor Goldstein presented the receipt of payment for a spacious apartment to the Court that he had rented apartment for the wife and children, which turned to be a scam.