Emmanuel Thomas l Monday, March 27, 2023
IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – It seems there will be no end to sexual exploitation by people who claim to be men of God, the latest coming from a pastor in Deeper Life Bible Church, a very disciplined religious. Group.
This was the reality at the Domestic and Sexual Offences section on Monday, when a teenager revealed how Pastor Pope Paul allegedly deflowered her and had sex with her on many occasions, while she was under his care.
The 19-year-old survivor, who was living with the cleric, was 15 years old when Paul, a Youth Pastor at Deeper Life Bible Church exploited her. She made the revelation, while being led in evidence by state counsel, Ms inumidun Solarin.
The survivor knew the defendant through his wife (Lydia) and had spent holiday with her before she got married. “Immediately sister Lydia got married, I came to Lagos for a holiday again in 2016. After the holiday was over, I was to go back to Ibadan but she told me I should start living with her and that she had spoken with my mother.
“I was enrolled in a private school as I resumed in SS1. I only go back to my parents during the holiday. On Feb.17, 2018, I noticed this lustful look on Mr Pope Paul and he came to me; he started with a rough play and then bumped on me.
“He started touching me because there was nobody around. He moved on to touch my breasts and used his hand to cover my mouth while he inserted his fingers into my vagina.”
The teenager said that the cleric played a Christian message and increased the volume so that no one could hear her voice.
“As he fingered my private part, blood was flowing out.” The survivor further told the court that the defendant told her that she would die if she tells anyone.
“One day, my mum called me while he was having sex with me. He picked the call and told her I was not at home. I once summoned courage to indirectly tell his wife that I do not like the way her husband touched me, and the wife said she would talk to him.
“My mother later told me to come to Ibadan and stay with her because she wanted to undergo an operation. Mr Pope Paul told me to pack all my belongings because I would not be coming back again,” she said.
The witness further said that the defendant came to her room at night, dragged her to the kitchen and had sexual intercourse with her. She testified that her mother got suspicious of her when she got home, and subjected her to a pregnancy test which turned out positive.
“My mum called pastor and he said that he was sorry and had asked God for forgiveness and knew that God had forgiven him. My mum told him to inform his wife about the pregnancy but he refused and later denied that he impregnated me which prompted my mother to report the case to the police and he was arrested ,” the survivor said, while narrating the story of the Deeper Life pastor.
While being cross-examined by defence counsel, Mr Gabriel Nbagho, the witness reiterated that the defendant inserted his finger into her private part.
She said that she did not tell anyone about it because the defendant put fear in her mind. She said that she never had sex with any man before she began to live with the defendant’s family.
She added that she never had any male friend. Justice Ramon Oshodi adjourned the case until May 23 for continuation of trial
