One former reverend sister, Annastasia Kinse, don open up say she face sexual harassment and cover-up inside Catholic Church during her years as sister for Congregation of Mother of Perpetual Help of the Archangels Sisters.

 

For interview wey she grant The Punch, Kinse—wey be first woman from her village for Plateau State to take religious vow—talk say her ten years for the convent no be only about prayer and holiness, but also come with serious pain and abuse.

 

“Yes, I experience harassment,” she talk. “Apart from wetin happen for university, one priest tell me say he wan be the first man to sleep with me. I reject am—no be only am, others too.”

 

She say because she no gree do wetin dem want, some priests begin call her wicked and start to spread bad story about her character for inside and outside the convent.

 

Kinse talk say her superiors know wetin dey happen but decide to keep quiet.

 

“Dem cover everything. Dem no want expose am because if dem talk one, other ones go come out too,” she add.

 

When she try to speak out, people for inside the church tell her make she no waste her time.

 

“Dem say make I forget am, say nobody go help me,” Kinse remember.

 

But she no gree keep quiet. Now she dey speak out because she believe say people wey dey outside the church system—like human rights activists and online community—go hear her cry.

 

“My hope dey with people wey believe in justice, not the ones wey protect abusers,” she talk.

 

Kinse believe say her dismissal from the congregation no be because she do wrong, but because she no follow the “code of silence” wey the system dey expect.

 

“I no go be part of any system wey treat me like commodity or expect me to suffer in silence just to protect their name,” she conclude.

 

Her boldness to speak out don spark serious conversation about abuse, silence, and how vulnerable people dey treated for religious institutions.