The long arm of the law has caught up with the pastor of Fountain of Liberation Church, Prophet Wisdom Okoronkwo for allegedly defiling the 14-year-old daughter of his church member.
The arrest of the suspect was confirmed in a report by the PUNCH which revealed that the suspect was arrested by men of the Lagos State Police Command after committing the crime in the Ikotun area of the state.
According to the report, the woman who was living with the pastor on the instructions of her mother, who is a member of the church, reported the matter to her uncle simply identified as Philip, who said he reported the case to a non-governmental organisation, the Esther Child Rights, in Ikotun.
He said; “I was in my shop on May 7, 2021, when I saw my niece crying. A motorcyclist, who is well known to me, brought her to my shop and the man told me that when she asked him to take her to a pharmacy, he conveyed her to my shop to prevent her from indulging in self-medication.
“When I asked my niece what happened, she said the prophet had been sexually abusing her and threatened her not to tell anyone. I observed that she had been severely beaten as she was crying profusely. She also reported the case to my elder brother and sister.”
While recounting her story, the victim said; “I met the prophet on June 1, 2020, he had a brief conversation with my mother and I didn’t know what it was about. Three days after, the prophet asked if I’d like to live with him and I told him that I would think about it. My mother pleaded with me to live with him and I accepted.
“After living with him for two weeks, he woke me up in the middle of the night and began to plead with me to allow him to have sex with me, but I refused. Suddenly, he forced himself on me and sexually abused me and that was how it started. The prophet told me that I would run mad if I ever tell anyone; so, I was scared to tell my mum about it.
“But I told Ugo, the son of my mum’s friend; I also told my mum’s sister and her fiancé, who is the assistant pastor of the church, and they believed me. When the prophet found out, he denied it. When he got home, he threatened me to recant my statements else he would mercilessly beat me, but I refused,” she added.
