Prophet Tomi Arayomi: I was sexually abused as a child, addicted to porn

Tomi Arayomi, founder of RIG Nation and Pioneer Church in the United Kingdom, has opened up about his traumatic experience of childhood sexual abuse.

In an interview with Sharon Stone, Arayomi recounted the trauma he endured at just five years old, which had a profound impact on his life and identity.

He revealed that his journey began with physical and emotional challenges due to being born with rickets, a leg disease that left him immobile.

The cleric said he faced additional pain when a family friend “sexually molested me”. The abuse, according to him, was accompanied by threats and secrecy.

He disclosed that years later, his trauma resurfaced when he overheard a BBC news segment discussing homosexuality.

Arayomi said since he was unfamiliar with the term, he asked his mother what it meant, but her response left him devastated.

“My journey was, I was born with rickets. I had a leg disease that made me fairly immobile. And there was a sexual exploitation that took place when I was five,” he said.

“A friend of the family, who at times took care of us, would sexually molest me. And I didn’t know what he was doing at that age, because I wasn’t in any way awakened sexually.

“This is our little secret. And it came with shame. And I knew when my parents left us with them, they didn’t know what was going on, of course, that the abuse was going to continue.

“And it wasn’t until one day, I was watching news, some BBC news, when homosexuality was a taboo. I didn’t know the term homosexuality. That was in the early 90s.

“I said, Mom, what happens to homosexuals? She laughed, and she said, ‘oh, they go to hell’. Now I’m going to hell.”

Arayomi also spoke about a pivotal moment when he finally stood up to his abuser. He said when cornered in the bathroom, he refused the abuser’s demands, pushed him into the bathtub, and ran away, unsure of what would happen next.

“And I remember my last encounter with that man. My parents had left the house again. We were in the house by ourselves,” he added.

“And he cornered me in the bathroom and told me basically to pull my trousers down. And I remember I just said no to him for the first time. He said, ‘what did you say?’ I said no.

“And I pushed him into the bathtub. And I ran down the street crying my heart out because I didn’t know what was going to happen next. I didn’t even know where I was running to.”

The cleric recalled how he was exposed to pornography by his school teacher, which became an addiction even after he became born-again.

He said as he grew older, he struggled with his identity, grappling with the fear of the abuse.

Arayomi said the “double-life” secrets affected his mental and emotional well-being. He said he eventually disclosed the abuse to his parents when he was around 17.

“And I got introduced to pornography by my schoolteacher. And all of a sudden, what became a remedy for a diagnosis from BBC all of a sudden became an addiction,” he added.

“That once I was saved, the addiction didn’t go away. It just got suppressed. And the secrets were suppressed. I never told my parents what happened to me until they rededicated their life to the Lord, when I told them when I was about 17, 18 years old.

“But I didn’t tell them for years. I didn’t tell my twin brother. I just carried the secret.”

Arayomi said through his platform, he aims to offer hope and healing to others who carry the weight of unspoken trauma.

“That is not unique to you. So many people go through that. And I would like to hope that maybe before we’re done today you could even pray for others,” he said.