Eric Olusesan/Port Harcourt
Police operatives from Rumuji Police Division in Emohua local government area of Rivers State, on Thursday 6, July 2023 arrested one Mr Pillar for allegedly defiling and impregnating a 15 years old girl member of his church.
Mr Pillar who is 55 years old and the resident Pastor of Gracious Covenant Church in Ndele community, Emohua Local Government Area is said to regularly having an affair 15 year old girl in his Church.
It was gathered that the arrest followed a compliant made by Mr Amesi ThankGod, an inlaw to the fifteen year old girl.
In an interview with Journalists, Mr ThankGod said “Anytime everybody left for the farm, the girl normally goes to the church to relax, then comes back at evening. In last few days the fifteen year old girl was vomiting, before my wife (her elder sister) took her for medical test, after testing her, the result show she was pregnant, that is how we knew”.
Explaining further, Mr ThankGod said the Pastor reportedly threatened the 15 year old girl not to tell anyone, that if she does, he will kill her.
Mr. ThankGod stated that upon the discovery that the teenage girl was pregnant, the elder sister of victim took her to Pastor Pillar who reportedly agreed to be responsible for the pregnancy but would not allow the victim to keep the unborn child.
Mr ThankGod revealed that, Pastor Pillar pleaded with the elder sister of the pregnant teenager to keep the pregnancy secret suggesting that he give her an abortion drug that will flush out the pregnancy. But the family of the girl kicked against his suggestion.
He also disclosed that because of the symptoms of pregnancy, the teenage girl has been sickly and physically weak strong. It has been either her mother or her elder sister who is dressing her up and bathing her as a result of the weakness in pregnancy.
Meanwhile, reports available to our reporter indicated that the suspect was initially taken into protective custody by local vigilante group in Ndele community to prevent mob action against the suspect.
The randy Pastor was later arrested by the personnel of Rumuji Police Division.
A human rights advocacy group, Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign has waded into the matter and called for a thorough investigation into the incident.
The Group in a statement by it’s National Coordinator, Prince Wiro, urged the Police to carryout their investigation without bias or sentiment and if the suspect is found culpable in the course of investigation, he should be arraigned in court.
The Spokesperson for the Rivers State Police command SP Grace Iringe Koko, had not spoken about the incident at the time of filing this report.