Pastor arraigned for allegedly defiling five-year-old girl in Ebonyi - The Gallant News

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Monday 21 December 2020

Pastor arraigned for allegedly defiling five-year-old girl in Ebonyi

 Pastor arraigned for allegedly defiling five-year-old girl in Ebonyi


The Ebonyi State Police Command, weekend, arraigned a Pastor, Christopher Ebenyi, 45, for allegedly defiling a five-year-old girl, (name withheld), in Ebonyi State.


It was gathered that the cleric is of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Renewal Movement, Abakaliki.

The defendant was said to have gone to the victim’s house to sell some immune booster drugs to her mother when the incident occurred.

The victim’s mother was said to have gone out to buy some items when Mr Ebenyi took sexual advantage of the little girl.

The victim’s mother, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “The Pastor came to our house to sell some drugs to me. Before he came, I had in mind to get something for the house. So, I left him and my daughter to go and buy those things.

“When I got back home, I saw the Pastor using his fingers to insert inside my daughter’s vagina. I shouted and he said, it was the devil. I called people, who came around and started beating him. And eventually, he was arrested.”

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It was gathered that the defendant committed the offence at No. 39 Nsi Road, Abakaliki, in the Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, on  December 15, 2020.

He was arraigned on one count charge of indecent assault, before the Magistrate’s Court.

The Police Prosecutor, ASP Mathias Eze, told the court that the offence was punishable under section 222 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 33, Vol 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.

The charge read: “That you Christopher Ebenyi ‘m’ on the 15th day of December, 2020, at No. 39 Nsi Road, Abakaliki in the Abakaliki Magisterial District did finger the vagina of one girl aged 5 years and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 222 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 33, Vol. 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.”

The Counsel to the defendant,  Barr C.F. Ogbonnaya, applied for bail on his client, which the Prosecuting Counsel, opposed on the grounds that the defendant might appear in court again.

The defendant confessed to the crime. In his confessional statement, he said: “I am Pastor Christopher Ebenyi. I am from Eziulo in the Ishielu Local Government Area of the state.

“I know the victim at Convent in Abakaliki. I got to their house and I called her, she came and I touched her private part.”

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Nnenna Onuoha, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N50,000.00 with one surety, in like sum. According to Onuoha, the defendant must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court.

She adjourned the matter till January 28, 2021, for trial.




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