A 14-year-old girl has told an FCT High Court in Maitama how Emmanuel Matthew, a pastor of the Winners Chapel, raped her when she was seven years old in 2012.The girl said this while testifying as the fifth prosecution witness, during the hearing of the case on Thursday.
She explained that Matthew forcibly inserted his finger in her private parts and also that of her schoolmate.
NAN reports that the defendant is also the Proprietor of Emmabeth Academy, Mpape, Abuja, where the victim attended in 2012.
The victim also alleged that the defendant sexually assaulted her elder sister who was nine years old at the time.
Ejike Orji, the prosecuting counsel, averred that the victim had attended Emmabeth Academy, Mpape, run by the defendant.
In 2012, the Police charged Matthew to court on a six-count charge bordering on inducement and rape.
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The prosecutor said the offence contravenes sections 283 and 285 of the Penal Code.
“Sometime in March 20, 2012, at Emmabeth Academy, Mpape, Abuja Matthew induced and raped the victim who was seven years old, her elder sister and another pupil of the school,” he said.
In her evidence in chief, the victim recalled the name of the school to be “Emmabeth Academy Nursery/ Primary School, Mpape Abuja’’.
She said: “I was in school and Pastor Emmanuel took me inside his office and put his fingers into my private parts severally.
“He did that to me and my senior sister and the other girl. He later gave my sister N10.”
When interrogated further by the prosecutor, she said the defendant went ahead to remove his trousers and insert his penis into the private part of the other girl.
She said she narrated the incident to her mother, who immediately reported it to her pastor.
According to her, the mother and her pastor only warned the defendant of the repercussion of his actions.
The victim further explained that the defendant invited policemen three days after the incident to arrest the mother and her pastor, adding that the police became abreast of the matter through her mother’s statement.
She said the police immediately took over the matter by taking the three of them (children) to the hospital for examinations.
When asked to state the colour of the underwear the defendant wore during the alleged incident, the victim said she could not remember because the incident happened seven years ago.
The witness also said she could not remember the name of the hospital they were taken to for examination, adding that she remembered that a doctor examined them.
Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf then adjourned until May 30 for continuation.
