By NewsBits
A pastor of the Assemblies of God Church, Rev. Chukwuemeka Orji has been remanded in Aba Correctional Centre for allegedly raping his teenage housemaid.
Pastor Orji was arraigned at the Aba South Magistrate Court 1 presided over by Mrs Jane Young-Daniel on Tuesday on a count charge of rape of his teenage housemaid.
It was gathered that the 60-year-old Pastor Orji is the pastor in the Assemblies of God Church situated at NO:12 Ukonu Street, off Ngwa Road, Aba, a venue that also serves as parsonage where he resides with his family.
Further checks showed that the victim was handed over to Reverend Orji and his family as a housemaid when he was pastoring a branch of the Assemblies of God Church in Ugwunagbo Local Government Area to help them take care of their baby who is currently six years old.
Reports from the victim’s family had it that they allowed their small daughter to live with the Orjis because they assured them that they would take care of her education while she helps them to take care of their baby.
It was gathered that the 13-year-old girl has been living with the couple for three years, out of which Orji has molested her for two years and according to the victim, the molestation started in her first year and he continuously pestered her with sexual demands till his arrest.
According to findings, the girl’s refusal during the first year led to a forceful defilement in 2022, after which it became a regular act. She said that the serial rape was always accompanied by a threat to send her back to the village, which she said she was afraid of.
The victim also said that Orji threatened to deal with her family if she discloses his inhuman act to anyone, stressing that she could not remember the number of times he had forced himself on her.
According to her, she had reported to Orji’s wife, Rev (Mrs) Chukwuemeka who failed to take action to protect her after her husband denied the act.
Sources within the home however told our correspondent that Mrs Chukwuemeka usually leaves home very early to the market, leaving the victim with the responsibility of preparing the six-year-old and going to school with her.
The victim revealed that most times, Orji would command her to drop their child at school and return to the house whenever he wanted to have sex with her knowing full well that the wife is not at home and will later send her back to school after satisfying himself.
She said that every attempt to “disobey” Orji’s command to offer him frequent sex is followed by a threat to send her packing the next day and also deal with her poor family mercilessly. It was gathered from the victim that in Orji’s usual attempt to forcefully have sex with her on the morning of Thursday, June 15, 2023, he discovered that she was menstruating.
The victim said that on discovering that she was menstruating, Orji forced her to give him a “blow job” (to suck his penis with her mouth to give him sexual pleasure), but unsatisfied with her poor blow job performance, Orji sent her to weed grasses at a farm within the church premises, as a punishment before she could go back to school.
Disgusted over the forceful blow job, she cried to school and reported to her class teacher who went ahead to notify the proprietor of the school about the ugly incidents.
Our correspondent gathered that it was the Proprietor of the school that put a call across and reported the matter to the Executive Director of Vivacious Development Initiative (VIDI), Onyinyechi Nwosu, who is also a member of the Onurube Coalition and member of the Abia State Gender-Based Violence Response team.
Nwosu told our correspondent that when she got the police involved and equally notified relevant stakeholders about the case, Orji was arrested and detained which later led to his arraignment at the Aba South Magistrate Court.
According to Nwosu, “The swift response of the Aba Area Command, especially, Supo Joy, the Officer In-charge (OC) of the Human Rights Desk and the IPO in charge of the case, Insp. Blessing is commendable,” she said
Meanwhile, when the Court asked if he wanted his matter tried at the Magistrate’s Court, Orji said yes. He further agreed to have the charge read to him in the English language after which he pleaded not guilty to the charge of rape preferred against him.
After Orji had narrated his version of the story, the Magistrate called Orji’s wife on the phone and asked her if she was ever told of her husband’s molestation of the girl.
Mercy Orji denied having been told of the incident earlier but later admitted that she heard it and confronted her husband who denied it. Although the defendant had no lawyer yet, the Police Lawyer, Mrs Mary Udoji told the court to deny him bail to stop him from further molesting the girl.
The Chief Magistrate, who was told that the girl had since then been with the Police, counselled that she should return to her parents from today. The Magistrate further went on to remand Orji at Aba Correctional Centre and adjourned the matter to the 6th and 18th of July for a hearing.
