By MIKE OSAROGIAGBON
Benin-based Man of God who allegedly impregnated an eighteen-year old member of his church and secretly terminated the two month-old pregnancy to conceal his extramarital affair from his wife, congregation and the general public has been arrested by the Police in Edo State
Operatives of the Edo State Police Command picked up the randy pastor and owner of Glory Land Church, located on Medical Stores Road, Benin City at the weekend.
According to the police, the preacher said to have been married for some years without fruit of the womb, opted for the abortion to conceal his extramarital affair.
The suspect who identified himself as Pastor Samuel Ekene, 38 was paraded with a member of his congregation, one Mrs. Happiness Johnson, 32 alleged to be an accomplice in the case of illegal abortion.
Items paraded along with the pastor were plastic containers of black native soap, palm kernel oil, numbers of Palm kernel, holy bible tied with blue piece of cloth and a long key at the middle among others.
The duo were among 120 suspected criminals paraded by the Commissioner of Police in Edo, CP Dan Malam Mohammed at the state police command headquarters, Benin City on Friday.
The pastor was alleged to have lured his teenage lover to a private hospital where the pregnancy was terminated as the girl took ill soon after.
“I am Apostle Samuel Ekenechukwu, I am married, I own a church Gloryland Church at Medical Stores Road in Benin City.
“I was arrested for impregnating a girl in my church. The girl (Miracle) has been a member of my church, last year August we had an affair.
“This year she said she was pregnant, I asked my member to take her to hospital. The doctor confirmed that she was four weeks pregnant.
“She started taking drugs which affected the pregnancy. The baby died inside her womb. The doctor has to remove it through operation.
“My wife is her spiritual mother, when my wife visited her at the hospital she was arrested along with my member. So, I surrendered myself to the police.
“I have paid over two hundred thousand naira out of over three hundred thousand naira medical bills.
“After deliverance, I give these materials to be rubbed on the affected portion of their body.
“They are not fetish, I am not just a pastor, I am also a spiritual pastor. I deliver people and they do not go back to their old ways.” the pastor stated.
Mrs. Happiness Johnson on her part said she was arrested for signing for the operation.
“I and my husband are members of Gloryland Church, the pastor called me to take Miracle, about 18 years old girl to hospital that she was not feeling fine.
“When we got there they did ultra-sound and they said she has appendicitis that I should sign for her that they want to operate on her.
“I signed and the operation was successful. I did not know that it was abortion until I got to the police station,” she narrated.
The Commission of Police in the state said no crime committed and reported under his watch would go unpunished.
