- I went for deliverance prayer but he raped me instead – Woman
- No, it’s a frame up – Pastor
Ngozi Uwujare
It is a case of truth versus lie. The problem, however, is that no one yet can decipher which side is telling the truth or which is lying. That is the dilemma before the Anti–Kidnapping Unit of the Delta State Police Command in Azagba Ogwashi, Aniocha South Local Government Area. Policemen assigned to the case are currently groping for shreds of truth in the murky case where, at face value, both contending parties appeared to be guilty of some misdemeanours.
The accused party, comprising Chibuso Ogbegere, 28, and Lawrence Charles, 31, were arrested at the instance of a complaint of kidnapping and extortion made by the General Overseer of Goodness and Mercy Assembly, Apostle Daniel Ugo, 33, who in turn is being accused of rape by the female suspect.
According to Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr Muhammed Mustafa, the clergyman in his statement alleged that after he was beaten, kidnapped and threatened, his assailants took him to the bank and forced him to withdraw N35, 000 from his account for them. Based on his report, the duo of Lawrence Charles and Chibuso Ogbegere were arrested on June 21, 2018, and are currently in police custody.
One case, two stories
Chibuso Ogbegere, the female suspect, told Saturday Sun a different story.
“When I was ill, a friend of mine took me to Apostle Daniel Ugo who is known to be a seer. On that day, the tally I was given was No. 2. When it was my turn, I went in to see Pastor Ugo in the church premises. He asked me to bring sand from my house, which I did on June 18. Then, I attended the church’s vigil for prayer and deliverance where the pastor collected N500 from everyone in the service. He later requested that everyone should step out with N1, 000. I came out but I didn’t have my N1,000 and he told me to bring mine on Saturday.
“On June 19, 2018, I went to his house inside the church premises and gave him the N1,000. He asked whether I have breast cancer or not. I told him no, but he started touching my breasts, when I resisted, he started to touch my private part. He ordered me to remove my cloth and told me to face the wall and he started to have sex with me. He forcefully raped me and I had to run away from the church premises.”
Ogbegere, who hails from Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, continued: “I reported the incident to a policeman who advised me to report the case at a nearby police station. I had also narrated the incident to my brother who organized his friends and they called the pastor on phone. Pastor Ugo asked them to meet him at his church site, and when they met there, he was beaten and he begged to be forgiven, pleading for the issue to be settled there and not spread around. From there, he took my brother’s friends to his bank and withdrew N35, 000 and offered the money to them.”
She further claimed that her friend who introduced her to the pastor had stopped attending the church because the clergyman attempted to rape her too.
“She stopped attending his church and when I revealed my encounter with him to her, she told me that he should be arrested. So, we are surprised when the Anti-Kidnapping policemen came and said the pastor had accused us of kidnap, that we forced him to withdraw N35,000 for us. I was later arrested on June 21 for being part of a kidnap gang that abducted him.”
Her story was corroborated by the second suspect, Lawrence Charles, who affirmed that it was true that the clergyman raped Ogbegere inside the church. “We had called Pastor Ugo and when he met us at the site, he pleaded with us to settle the case there and not let it go any further. We were angry and he was beaten. He promised to give us N400, 000. Later, he took us to
his bank and withdrew N35, 000 and handed it over to me. We are shocked by the sudden twist in the case.”
General Overseer’s account
The clergyman, too, gave Saturday Sun his own version of the story, stating, “I know Chibuso Ogbegere who attended my church for the night vigil.”
He said: “I have several people who attend my church. A woman came for deliverance and prayer, and I told her that she should leave her husband and since then they had been threatening me. Suddenly, I had a call from a gang. I told them to meet me at the church’s site. They came with gun and cutlasses. After I was beaten, they ordered me to drive them to my bank and asked me to withdraw N35, 000
for them. I ran to the DSS office, after I got no response, I went to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and that prompted the arrest of the two suspects.”
He maintained that he was framed. “I know Chibuso Ogbegere. I saw her when she came for prayer and deliverance. I didn’t rape, and I did not have sex with her,” he declared. According to Police Commissioner Mustafa, the investigation is still ongoing.
