A grandmother, identified as Mrs Otabor has fled her home in Ogiemwenken Street, Upper Uwa Quarter in Benin City, Edo State over an illegal abortion conducted on granddaughter who was allegedly raped and impregnated by a self-proclaimed Prophet.
The abortion was carried by the fleeing woman in connivance with a “local nurse” in the community.
But the husband of the sexagenarian, Mr. Jeremiah Otabor, has reportedly pledged to cooperate with the authorities for the prosecution of the arrested 70-year-old suspect, Prophet Paul Lawani, who allegedly raped and impregnated the 15-year-old-girl in his church in August 2024
Narrating her ordeal, the victim claimed that she was sexually abused by the clergyman in his church when she returned from an errand he sent her. She said the cleric forced her to take an oath of secrecy at the church altar and threatened her with death if she disclosed it to anyone.
The victim confided in her grandmother, who noticed signs of pregnancy symptoms, which made her to open up.
Consequently, her grandmother invited a local nurse, who ran a pregnancy test and discovered that she was two months pregnant and aborted the foetus to conceal the crime.
Worried by the concealment of the crime by her grandmother, the victim said she eventually opened up to one of her neighbours who alerted the police authorities, which led to the arrest of the prophet.
The suspect reportedly admitted to knowing the victim in the neighbourhood, but didn’t give details about the illicit act in his church located on Iyeide Street via Ogiemwenken Street.
The victim said, “When I got to his church office, he forced me to remove my pants. When I shouted, nobody came and he had his way.
“He took me to his altar to swear that I will die if I told anyone what happened. My mother called me one day and checked and brought a nurse who said I was two months pregnant,” she said.
In his response, the grandfather of the victim said, “I am aware of the incident. He (prophet) is a criminal, but I don’t want to cause any problem”.
The spokesman of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in Edo State, CSP Moses Yamu, who confirmed the arrest of Lawani in connection with the incident, stated that “investigations is ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the case.
“The case has been reported to us. The command’s family unit is currently investigating the case. As soon as the investigation is concluded, we will let members of the public know the outcome,” Yamu said.
