Ovedhe Hezekiah – Warri
Police in Warri, Delta state have arrested a bishop who allegedly raped a 19 year old girl whom he was conducting deliverance on.
The presiding minister of Victory Revival Fasting and Prayer Ministry in Okumagba layout, Warri, Bishop Elijah Orhonigbe, reportedly raped a 19 year old girl, simply named, Miracle.
The incident which was reported last month, May 20, happened at the cleric’s church.
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Bishop Orhonigbe, according to the police in Warri, had been running from arrest until he was swept off guard last weekend, Friday June 5, 2020 in his compound.
The Police Area Commander, Warri, ACP, Mohammed Muktar Garba, told newsmen on Monday that they have enough evidence to prosecute the suspect, vowing that every person that commits rape and other crimes under his command will be charged to court.
ACP Garba warned self – acclaimed pastors with questionable character to stop tarnishing the image of Christendom.
Narrating her ordeal to journalists, the alleged rape victim, Miracle, said: “The pastor claimed he saw a vision for my mum that I had affair with a yahoo boy and that my mum, who is a member of the church should bring me for deliverance. Out of fear, my mum took me to the church, which I initially objected”.
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“The pastor asked me to sleep in the church for four days for deliverance and he gave me olive oil to rub in my private part, asking me to undress and rub the oil in my private part, I did as instructed. The pastor was naked too and the pastor also gave me olive oil to drink. After drinking, the pastor told me to lie on a mat. I became unconscious and he had canal knowledge of me in the church office. It was after the action, I regained my consciousness and saw his sperm on my body, after which I started crying”.
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According to Miracle, Bishop Orhonigbe told her to wash off her body after she regained consciousness, claiming that “she will see something come out of her”.
Mother of Miracle, Taiye Omalor, corroborated her daughter’s story to newsmen.
She alleged that Bishop Orhonigbe had been raping and sleeping with married women as well as single girls under the guise of deliverance.
Omalor urged the police to prosecute the cleric, saying she does not want any financial settlement.
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Counsel to Miracle, Prince Clem Ade Omotoye, Esq., said her client was ready to charge the matter to court.
Attorney to the accused, Presley Okojie Esq., was working frantically to secure bail for the suspect as of the time of filing this report.
Bishop Elijah Orhonigbe in a brief chat with this reporter in police detention denied the allegation levelled against him, saying, he did not rape Miracle, but acknowledged that her mother brought her for deliverance.
However, a Warri – based human rights activist, Israel Joe, has commended the police for ensuring the arrest of the suspect, urging the police to prosecute the suspect.
