A High Court in Uyo presided over by Justice Bassey Nkanang has remanded a 32-year-old prophet, Godson Thompson, in the Uyo Custodial Centre for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl, who was brought to him for prayers.

Justice Nkanang ordered the remand of the cleric, a native of Ikot Offiong Nsit in the Nsit Ibom Local Government Area, after he heard the evidence of the victim, a student of a government secondary school in Uyo.

The victim told the court that while living with her elder sister in Uyo, her in-law took her to a church at the Information Drive, Uyo, and when he left around 6pm, the pastor took her to his house, where she was raped overnight.

She said the accused person, a father of three children, gave her a bucket to urinate inside the house in order to prevent her from going outside.

The victim said, “My in-law took me to a church by IBB Way, Uyo, by 6pm, saying he will pick me up by 7pm. When my in-law left the church, the accused person made a phone call to a tricyclist and the tricyclist came in. The accused person asked me to enter the tricycle, saying he was going to pray for two persons and that he would also pray for me.

“When we got there, he prayed for the first and second persons. Thereafter, the accused person and I trekked to the main road and he stopped a tricycle. We both entered it and at a certain point, the tricyclist stopped and the accused person said I should wait for him.”

She stated that they later ended up in the accused person’s house, where he brought out a black liquid substance in a plastic bottle and drank before raping her.

She further told the court that she started bleeding and using sanitary pads for two weeks after the incident, which occurred on Friday, July 10, 2022.

The victim noted that she saw ladies’ pants in different colours and pictures of women inside the house of the prophet.

The SS1 student said she escaped when the accused person forgot to lock the door of the house, adding that she ran to a church where she was rescued.

Justice Nkanang adjourned the matter till August 1, 2022, for continuation of trial (The PUNCH: Excluding headline)

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