Clerics ordinarily are respected members of community who are regarded as role models of societal morality and fear of God. They are expected to be life savers, not life takers, and their mere appearance tends to evoke a sense of solace and comfort for troubled persons. But there are some clerics who have been caught in acts so fiendish that they signpost the basest thing conceivable in human morality. Examples are two professing clerics who lately were found in violation of the law with the indulgence of their libido that resulted in deaths of hapless victims.

A Rivers State high court sitting in Port Harcourt recently sentenced a pastor, Chidiebere Okoroafor, to death by hanging for multiple murder. Okoroafor, who is the General Overseer of the Altar of Solution and Healing Assembly based in Oyigbo, Rivers State, was put through trial and found guilty of the killing of his choir leader, Orlunma Nwagba, who he allegedly impregnated. He also faced murder charges and was found guilty of the killing of Nwagba’s friend, Chigozie Ezenwa, and her 11-month-old daughter, Cresabel, on December 11, 2017, in Oyigbo council area of Rivers State. Reports said the women had visited the pastor’s house in Oyigbo for talks about Nwagba’s pregnancy, upon which he tricked them to a bush and allegedly committed the murder act at two different locations. Men of Rivers State police command had on December 17, 2017, arrested Okoroafor following an alarm raised by Ezenwa’s husband over the killing of the three persons.

The trial judge, Justice S.O. Benson, ruled that available evidence and confessional statements by the pastor showed he committed the crimes. The judge said the prosecution proved the case of murder against the cleric and ordered that he be hung by the neck until he dies or a lethal injection be administered on him.

Speaking to journalists after the trial, prosecution counsel, Precious Ordu, expressed satisfaction with the verdict, saying: “Justice has been served to the state, the complainant and the convict. This will serve as a deterrent to all those who intend to commit similar offence because it is justice for all.” For his part, defence counsel, Innocent Ekwu, said his team would appeal the judgment because “we have grounds on which we believe that the defendant did not commit the offence.”

In another instance, a catechist at St. Martins Parish, Mbape in Adikpo deanery, Kwande council area of Benue State, is said to be at large following the death of a lady suspected to be his lover. The catechist, identified as Oliver Vershima, was said to have fled when he was caught with the corpse of the lady as he planned to dispose of it. Reports cited a resident of the community telling journalists that the incident happened last Saturday.

According to the source, Vershima was caught with the body around 7p.m. on Saturday and upon being questioned, it was discovered that he had impregnated the lady and they tried to terminate the pregnancy, but the lady lost her life in the process earlier on that Saturday. “To conceal this, the catechist hid the corpse inside his room until night so he could take the body out of the village. Unfortunately for him, he was caught while trying to carry the body out of the village, but he later escaped,” the community resident was quoted saying, adding that though the lady’s identity was yet to be ascertained, she was believed to be from a neighbouring community.

Confirming the incident, Benue State Police Command spokesperson, Catherine Anene, said the body had been recovered and deposited in a morgue. She stated: “The corpse of the young girl who was said to have visited her man friend was recovered and taken to the mortuary after a report was received. But the said Oliver is yet to be seen as he ran away after he brought the corpse out of his room.” The spokesperson added that investigation was ongoing and the cause of death yet unknown.

The depravity of morals that the supposed ‘men of God’ were linked to is so sordid that such wouldn’t be expected even of Godless men. It is difficult to see what knowledge of God they ever had or taught to their followers, not to mention that they failed expectations to be good examples that can be emulated. We applaud the justice dealt with the verdict on the randy general overseer, while we hope that no effort is spared to apprehend the fleeing catechist so that he is brought to account for his misdeed. But the moral here is that the hood never makes the monk and people should be wary of making themselves vulnerable to wolves in sheep’s skin.

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