Pastor Jephthah Asuquo, a self-styled general overseer (GO) of the Divine Mountain of Joy Ministry (DMJM), along Ukpong Street, off Eket – Oron Road in Eket local government area of Akwa Ibom State, is currently cooling off his heels at the Police Area Command, Eket LGA.
The “man of God”, who LEADERSHIP learned was on the verge of being arraigned in court, was arrested for defiling a 13-year-old, identified (name withheld) for four years undetected till she turned 17 recently.
It was gathered that the victim, her mother, a freelance hair stylist, living in abject poverty had to move in to a one-room apartment with the randy pastor at Idua Road axis of Eket LGA, following a passionate plea by her aunty, who was a member of the church, until she passed on.
The suspect earlier believed to be a true pastor, was begged by the late aunty to play the role of a father figure and guardian to her, after the real father, trying to break out of poverty, moved to Lagos in search of greener pastures, leaving his family stranded.
Oblivious of what was in a man’s mind, the mother accepted to move into the one room apartment which served as an abode for the cleric, his wife and five children.
Sandwiched by two women and six children amid whispered midnight prayers, the minor was molested repeatedly by her supposed guardian.
The victim, now 17, from Oruku Ibighi in Urue Offong/Oruko LGA, was sexually abused for four years by her supposed guardian and protector, a married pastor, cashing in on the helplessness of his help-seeking flocks, and turned them to hostages in his care.’
The Police Area Command in Eket, according to police sources had since concluded investigation with the suspect who was expected to be arraigned on Monday, following the transfer of the matter to the state headquarters at Ikot Akpanabia, near Uyo, the state capital.
“They are homeless. They are poor. They are emotionally scared. And they are crying out; not just for justice but for help. This is not just a story of abuse. It is a story of poverty, power, and silence. A story that demands urgent public attention,” Nene Bassey, an advocate against Gender -based Violence (GBV) noted.
Lamenting over the plight of her daughter, the mother recalled that “their father left them since 2016 under the guise of “seeking greener pastures” in Lagos. He never returned till date, though he sends money occasionally for her education.”
Fighting back tears, she lamented, “We are stranded and penniless. I accepted shelter from a longtime acquaintance, Apostle Jephthah Asuquo, who was introduced to me by my late sister and member of the church.
However, “help”, according to her came through the cleric, a preacher with a growing street fellowship known for his reputation for charity, who was said to have offered them space in his home to share along with his wife and five children in the cramped apartment.
“At first, I thought we had found help, but I never knew we had walked into a trap.
“We sleep in the same room which has one mattress which the wife shares with his five children. Myself, the pastor and my other child, Destiny, sleep on the floor, and it is in this tight space that he used to have canal knowledge of my daughter almost on daily basis for the past four years,” she cried.
“At night, while we were asleep, Pastor Asuquo would rise like a thief and take what was not his; my daughter; the girl he called his ‘daughter,” recalling that she started attending the church in 2017 with her late aunty, adding that she was later forced by the late aunty to d stay with the cleric in 2019 in her Junior Secondary 2, (JSS II).
Stating how the illicit affair started, the victim explained that “he (the suspect) started to sleep with me in 2020 in my JSS 3, when I turned 13. When it started, I pleaded with him not to do it because he is like a father to me.
“When my mother confronted him with the allegation he slapped and beat up my mother, calling her an ingrate. He threatened me that if I ever told anyone, that I would die, and said God would punish me,” he said.
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