A middle-aged pastor, popularly known as Bro Solomon, has been arrested by the police for allegedly defiling a seven-year-old girl at Nodu village, Okpuno in Awka South Local Government Area Anambra State.
Solomon was said to be in charge of a prayer ministry where hundreds of worshipers throng weekly for solutions to their spiritual problems.
The suspect was apprehended following the alarm raised by residents of the area who have been suspicious of his closeness with some members of his church.
The victim, a daughter to one of the members of the ministry, was said to have been taken to the church by her mother for prayers when the pastor allegedly sexually abused her.
A resident, who gave his name simply as Edward, said: “This man is not a pastor at all. A native doctor is even far better than him. See the kind of things discovered in a prayer house.”
Edward urged government to investigate the proliferation of so-called prayer ministries across the state in order to put a stop to such ugly incidents.
On her part, Clara Ezenwa, another resident, described the incident as sacrilegious. She called on human rights organisations to follow up the matter to ensure justice for the victim.
She added: “Deflowering a girl of that age is an abomination. The poor girl may not have rich parents that may be willing to pursue the case. So the civil society organisations and law enforcement agencies should make sure justice is done in the case.”
A member of the church, who pleaded anonymity, said she was attracted to the ministry by the preaching and outstanding miracles being performed by the pastor.
She said: “I started attending the ministry because of the miracles and preaching of the pastor. I only come here on Fridays because I still attend my church on Sundays.”
According to her, the church, which has another branch within the same area, was preparing for a special prayer summit on Friday, February 2 before the pastor was arrested.
It was also alleged that during a search at the pastor’s prayer house, all kinds of charms and fetish objects were discovered.
Confirming the incident, the state Commissioner of Police, Garba Umar, said the victim had been taken to the hospital for proper medical attention.
The commissioner promised to carry out full investigation to ensure justice was done.
He said: “A little girl who was taken to a pastor for spiritual healing was molested by the same pastor. The man had already been arrested. Anybody who engages in such dastardly act must be dealt with according to the law.”
Garba called on parents to be wary of where they take their wards to in search of spiritual solution.
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