A Nigerian woman has sparked conversations online after sharing why she stopped attending church for several years, citing a painful experience involving her pastor brother.
The woman, identified as @kenkenlewu on X (formerly Twitter), took to the platform to tell her story, which has since drawn emotional responses from users.
Why She Stopped Going to Church
She explained that she stopped attending church because, following her family’s experience, everything about church began to irritate her.
Her brother, the first son in the family, is a well-known and successful pastor in Edo State who enjoys a very comfortable lifestyle.
“I stopped going to church because of my brother. I only returned about two years ago. Back then, everything about church irritated me. My brother, the first son in our family, is a well-known and successful pastor in Edo State, living very comfortably,” she wrote.
He Cut Himself Off from the Family
@kenkenlewu revealed that about 17 years ago, immediately after her brother graduated from pastoral school, he completely severed ties with the entire family.
Estranged Pastor Brother Leaves Family Hurt
She said: “About 17 years ago, immediately after graduating from pastoral school, he cut himself off from all of us. Whenever we called, he wouldn’t pick.”
She added that their mother made several attempts to visit him, but was treated poorly by his wife.
“My mum went to his place several times to see him, but his wife treated her badly, until we eventually warned our mum to stop going there,” she recalled.
Family Cared for Him During Illness
Despite severing ties, the pastor reportedly returned to his parents’ house when he became seriously ill.
According to the woman, his wife brought him to their parents’ home and left him there, while the family cared for him until he recovered—a process that took almost a year.
“At some point, he became seriously ill. His wife brought him to my parents’ house, left him there, and we took care of him until he recovered. It took almost a year,” she wrote.
However, she said the situation returned to its previous state once he regained his health.
“Immediately he got better, he returned to his place and sternly warned my mum never to come looking for him again.”
“My Mum Didn’t See Him for Eight Years”
The woman disclosed that her mother did not see her son again for eight years before she passed away.
“My mum didn’t see him for a full eight years before she passed away,” she said. She added that on the day of her mother’s death, her brother suddenly showed up with some church members, acting as if nothing had happened.
“The day she died, he showed up with some of his church members, acting like everything was normal.”
Apology That Changed Nothing
During a family meeting, her brother offered an apology, which the family elders quickly accepted.
“During the family meeting, he apologised. Surprisingly, the elders accepted it immediately and even begged us to forgive him,” she wrote.
However, she said the apology did not lead to true reconciliation.
“Right after the burial, we never heard from him again, and that continues till now.”
Celebrated Online Despite Family Rift
The woman ended by expressing her pain at seeing her brother celebrated online despite his treatment of the family.
“But we constantly see him online performing miracles, being celebrated, and praised by people,” she said.
