The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries has given an indefinite suspension on the ‘Pastor’ of its branch in Life Camp area of Abuja, David Onyekachukwu, over an indecent relationship with a 16-year-old girl.
The church, however, said Onyekachukwu is “not an ordained Pastor” and has been arrested by the police.The MFM concluded that the indefinite suspension on its investigation which established that the ‘Pastor’ raped the girl and consequently resulted in pregnancy.
The suspect was arrested by operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.Onyekachuku, 48, who hails from Nsukka in Enugu State, had met the victim, a Junior Secondary School 2 pupil in the Karmo area sometime in 2018 and started making love advances to her.
On the other hand, NAPTIP had in a statement on Sunday by the Head of its Press and Public Relations, Stella Nezan, said the pastor, after his arrest and during interrogation, confessed to have sexually abused the girl two times and blamed the act on the “work of the devil.”
A statement by the spokesperson of MFM, Collins Edomaruse, in Abuja said the indefinite suspension was “in line with the rules and regulations of MFM which forbid such acts and frown at them.” The statement quoted the Regional Overseer of MFM in Gwarimpa Region, Pastor Niyi Babalola as confirming the suspension. Babalola said that Mr Onyekachukwu was not an ordained pastor in Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries. Stating that he was just a member/worker in that Life Camp branch and he has been suspended from the branch immediately.He further stated that the church can not stop the law from taking its course as doing so will amount to condoning evil and being an accessory after the fact.
When he met the victim for the first time, Onyekachuku was said to have volunteered to provide shelter and also to deliver her from witchcraft. The victim had lost her parents in 2018 and was said to be in dire need of accommodation.
NAPTIP said investigation revealed that the pastor lost his wife at an undisclosed period and later brought the victim to stay with him and his daughter in Karmo. He allegedly volunteered to assist the victim with her education. NAPTIP further stated, that the pastor first raped the victim in March 2019 during her birthday and allegedly continued to rape her thereafter, resulting in the pregnancy.
The victim noted that it was in her first year with the pastor that he started making love advances to her, an action she resisted.