Pastor found with 13 under-age sex slaves confesses

Chukwuemeka Nwocha, a 36-year-old pastor and General Overseer of Tongue of Fire Restoration Ministry located in Igbosere, Lagos, has been accused of harbouring 13 under-aged girls as sex slaves in his three-bedroom flat. The man of God who is called ‘daddy’ by his congregation, was paraded before journalists at the Lagos state police command headquarters in Ikeja, The Punch reports. Narrating what happened, he said it all started when the children in his church, who called him, “Daddy, daddy” told him they would like to visit him.

    

“I only tried to help the girls. When the first girl came, she said she did not have anywhere to go. I did not know her parents. I am a pastor and I felt pity for her. After spending three days, I told her she needed to go out and bring some of her relations so that they would know where she was. But she did not. “Later, some parents in my church also said they would like to send their children to live with me. Some of them came to spend holidays after their exam,” he explained.

   According to him, the parents of the girls were aware that they were in his house and that he was sexually abusing them. He blamed the devil for his evil act, saying, “I am a pastor, the devil only used the children against me. I did not rape them. I only slept with Sola (real name withheld). She is my girlfriend and we actually planned to marry.” One of the girls who spoke to newsmen said her parents are his church members and indeed gave her permission to spend the holiday in the pastor’s house. The 13-year-old girl said all the 13 of them lived in one room in the pastor’s three-bedroom flat.

      “It was when I got to the house that I saw other girls. Few days after I got there, he called me and took me to his room and slept with me. He told me not to speak to anybody about what he did and that he would buy me clothes. I knew that he was sleeping with the other girls. I don’t know whether anyone of the other girls have had abortion,” she said. Contrary to claims by the pastor that he was single, the girl disclosed that the pastor was married but his wife was never around as she is schooling. This was corroborated by another girl who said they all called the pastor’s wife Mary and that she came around to the house once in a while. READ ALSO: Apostle Chukwusom Okoli calls Igbos devil worshippers The Lagos state commissioner of police, Fatai Owoseni, had said that the pastor haboured the girls with the promise of paying their school fees, feeding them and buying gifts for them. According to him three of the girls became pregnant during their stay and he took them for abortions. He said upon interrogation Pastor Nwocha confessed to raping the girls without using protection The pastor would be prosecuted along with whoever conspired with him to commit the crimes, Owoseni added. Activities of some so called men of God has been blamed for the increase in the reports of sexual, domestic and violent crimes. Lagos state police commissioner said reports and investigations showed that “the so-called men of God” were hiding under religion to commit such heinous crimes.