Pastor Raped 8-Month Pregnant Woman Inside Church

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

The police at Area M Command, Idimu have arrested and docked one Pastor Treasure Igbonazabi of the Living Word Revival Assembly Church in Egbeda, Lagos for allegedly sexually assault and rape an eight-Month pregnant woman, Esther James inside the church premises.

The incident happened at the church premises located at Samuel Banjo Street, Car Wash Bus Stop, Abule-Odo, Egbeda, Lagos where Igbonazabi is the head.
The suspect was arraigned on Monday before Magistrate’s court sitting in Ejigbo with conduct likely to cause breach of public peace, assault and having forcefully carnal knowledge of the victim. He was remanded in prison custody.
The cleric, who hail from Ihiala town in Anambra State, allegedly tore Esther’s pant and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her from her back.
Igbonazabi was said to have had anal sex with the pregnant woman.

Due to the forcefully penetration, she was injured and started bleeding from her private and was rushed to a hospital where she is being treated.
Pastor Igbonazabi is married with four children while the victim, Esther is also married and had five children.
Narrating her experience, the victim said she went to fetch water from a tap inside the church premises in the evening when Igbonazabi came out from his apartment wearing boxer pant,  grabbed her and tore her pant and forcefully penetrated her from her back when her husband had not returned from work.
She said her family moved into the church premises after her husband’s business collapsed and they were unable to pay for their rent in January this year. She said when they moved into an apartment inside the church and became a full member of the church, Igbonazabi started pestering her for sex before she became pregnant.
The woman said she was afraid to tell her husband for fear of losing the accommodation offered to her family by the church until the day the pastor allegedly raped her.

She said she couldn’t hide what the pastor did to her especially with the bleeding thus she told her husband what happened.
She said when her husband confronted the pastor, two female members of the church, Gloria Pius and Tolu Ajayi assaulted her for telling her husband what the pastor did to her.
The matter was reported to the police at Area M Command who arrested Igbonazabi, Gloria and Ajayi and detained them at the Command for interrogation.
They were charged to court where they  pleaded not guilty.
While the two female suspects were charged with conduct likely to cause breach of public peace, conspiracy to wit assault, Igbonazabi was charged with conduct likely to cause breach of public peace, conspiracy, assault and rape under the Criminal Code.

The presiding Magistrate, Mrs J.O.E Adeyemi granted the suspects bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum.
They were remanded in prison custody pending when they will perfect their bail conditions.
The matter was adjourned till 14 November 2016.