A grandmother, identified only as Mrs Otabor has fled her home in Ogiemwenken street, Upper Uwa quarter in Benin City over illegal abortion procedure in conivance with a ‘local nurse’ for her grand daughter who was allegedly raped and impregnated by a self-proclaimed prophet.
The husband of the Sexagenarian, Mr Jeremiah Otabor, however, pledged full cooperation towards the prosecution of the arrested 70-year-old suspect, Prophet Paul Lawani behind the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl he allegedly defiled and impregnated in his church in August 2024.
Narrating her ordeal, the raped victim alleged that she was sexually assaulted inside Prophet Lawani’s church upon returning from an errand he sent her, after which he compelled her at the church altar to swear an oath of secrecy under threat of death if she revealed the incident.
However, the courageous victim said she later confided in her grandmother, who also serves as her guardian. The disclosure came after the grandmother observed changes in her body that suggested pregnancy, which prompted the teenager to reveal the abuse.Subsequently, the victim’s grandmother invited a local nurse to conduct a pregnancy test, which confirmed that the girl was two months pregnant. The pregnancy was then terminated, but the incident was concealed
Troubled by the trauma of concealing the crime, the victim eventually opened up to a neighbour, who alerted the police. This led to the arrest of Prophet Lawani, who admitted to knowing the victim in the neighbourhood but failed to provide details about the incident that allegedly took place in his church on Iyeide Street, off Ogiemwenken Street.
The victim said, “when I got to his church office, he forced me to remove my pant. When I shouted, nobody came. After doing it with me.
“He (Lawani) took me to his altar and swear that I will die if I tell anyone what happened. My mother called me one day and checked and brought a nurse who said I was two months pregnant”, according to the victim who underwent medical screening.
The grandfather of the victim said, “I am aware of the incident. He (Lawani) is a criminal, but I don’t want to cause any problem”.
Spokesman of the Nigeria Police Command in Edo State, CSP Moses Yamu, confirmed the arrest of Lawani in connection to the incident, saying, “investigations and ongoing to truly unravel the circumstances surrounding the case”.
“The case has been reported to us (police). The Command’s family Unit is currently investigating the case”, he said, “as soon as the investigation is concluded, we will let members of the public know the outcome of that investigation”, according to CSP Yamu.
Meanwhile, the incident has attracted the attention of Edesili Okpebholo-Anani, Coordinator of the Office of the Edo State First Lady, who has offered logistical support for the investigation and assured that all culprits will be brought to justice.
