A 19-year-old girl (name withheld) on Monday narrated to the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court how a Deeper Life pastor, Pope Paul, allegedly deflowered and impregnated her.
The survivor, who was led in evidence by the state counsel, Inumidun Solarin, said she was 15 when the accused had carnal knowledge of her because she was living in his house.
According to her, she spent a holiday with the defendant’s wife (Lydia) in 2006 before she married and subsequently moved in with the couple with her mother’s consent.
She said she was enrolled in a private school from SS1 and only goes to her parents during the holidays.
She narrated: “On February 17, 2018, I noticed this lustful look on Mr Pope Paul, and he came to me; he started with a rough play and then bumped into me.
“He started touching me because there was nobody around.
“He moved on to touch my breasts and used his hand to cover my mouth while he inserted his fingers into my vagina.”
She said the cleric played a Christian message and increased the volume so no one could hear her voice.
“As he fingered my private part, blood was flowing out.”
The survivor disclosed that the pastor said she would die if she told anyone, then continuously had sex with her afterwards.
“I once summoned the courage to indirectly tell his wife that I do not like the way her husband touched me, and the wife said she would talk to him,” she said.
She stated further that her mother got suspicious when she went home and took her for a pregnancy test which came back positive.
“My mum called the pastor, and he said that he was sorry and had asked God for forgiveness and knew God had forgiven him.
“My mum told him to inform his wife about the pregnancy, but he refused and later denied that he impregnated me, which prompted my mother to report the case to the police, and he was arrested,” she said.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, Gabriel Nbagho, the teenager maintained that she never had sex with any man before living with the couple, nor did she have any male friends.
Justice Ramon Oshodi adjourned the case until May 23 for continuation of trial.