46-year-old Pastor Ifeanyi Bernard was arrested by the police for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl in Nassarawa.
In his defense, the pastor claimed the devil, whom he tried to deliver the girl of, took over him and made him do it.
According to the commissioner of police, Sani Mohammed, who
supervised the parading of the offender, the cleric lured the victim
into his house under the pretext of casting out demons from her, pushed
her onto the bed and raped her repeatedly.
The commissioner said: “The pastor took advantage of his closeness to
the girl’s family – who are members of his congregation – to rape their
13-year-old daughter under the guise of casting out demons from her.”
As usual, the suspect threatened to kill the victim if she reported the incident to any member of her family.
However, it was a member of her family, Martins Ijiwo, the victim’s
father that eventually got him arrested for violating his daughter and
their trust.
In his confessional statement, he narrated how it was the devil’s fault.
“I had been into evangelism for some years now and I have been
casting out demons from people who have spiritual and family problems
before I met this young girl through her father, Mr. Martins Ijiwo.
I have been a friend of the family for quite some time. I used my
anointing oil to lure her into my room and all of a sudden, I was
carried away and before I knew what was happening, I saw myself making
love to her.”
