A 45-year-old pastor, identified as Lucky, has been arrested in Rivers State for allegedly defiling a 10-year-old girl, who he reportedly gave N500 to keep quiet after each incident

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]peratives of the Rivers State Police have arrested a 45-year-old pastor of a new generation church, identified simply as Lucky, for allegedly defiling a 10-year-old girl in the Ihuaje community, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State.

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The arrest of the cleric, who is also the proprietor of a private group of schools in the area, was reportedly carried out by members of a local security outfit, the ‘ONELGA Security Planning and Advisory Committee’ (OSPAC), led by its Commander in Ahoada East LGA, Precious Ihuruzu. The suspect has since been handed over to the Ahoada Police Division.

Dennis Otobo, a member of the Association Against Child Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, stated that he received a call from the gender desk of the State Ministry of Health regarding a child abuse case.

During his investigation, Otobo discovered that “one Pastor Lucky (surname withheld)… has been having sexual affairs with a 10-year-old girl in his care.”

Anytime he had affairs with her, he would give her N500 to keep quiet.

According to Otobo, the victim’s parents found out about the abuse when they visited her at the pastor’s house on a Saturday.

The young girl reportedly informed them that the pastor would give her N500 to keep quiet after each incident. Her parents immediately took her to the hospital for a preliminary investigation.

“On that level, I decided to call the Divisional Police Officer for assistance and arrest,” Otobo explained. “It was in the evening that the DPO told me that they should come on Sunday and that he was going to handle the case professionally. Truly, he did that because, as we are talking, the man (pastor) is in Ahoada Police station, Ahoada East.”

Otobo commended the DPO of Ahoada Police Division, the Chief Security Officer of Ahoada East LGA, Hector Ekeakita, the OSPAC, and rights activist Prince Wiro (National Coordinator of the Centre for Basic Rights and Accountability Campaign) for their roles in ensuring the suspect’s arrest.

The gender advocate urged the police to conduct a thorough investigation and, if found culpable, charge the suspect in court for prosecution.

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When contacted, the spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the pastor’s arrest. “Yes, I can confirm his arrest. The Pastor is with us here in the Command. We received a complaint from the parents of the girl and our men working with a local vigilante there arrested him. Investigations are ongoing,” Iringe-Koko stated.