The Abia State Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has announced the arrest of Peculiar Ginika, the General Overseer and Lead Pastor of Liberation Word Assembly International in Aba.
The church is located at No. 4 Egbuka Avenue beside Unity Bank, Echianu Street off 183 Faulks Road in Aba, Aba North local government area of the state.
Pastor Ginika is cooling his feet at the detention facility of the command headquarters of the Nigeria Police Rapid Response Squad, which is located on the grounds of the Aba North Local Government Council.
He was reportedly arrested and jailed over the weekend when the father of a female victim, a juvenile (name withheld), reported his daughter’s abuse by the General Overseer, who also serves as their family’s pastor, to RRS authorities.
The nurse who assisted the suspect with contraceptive pills and took the victim’s blood sample may be arrested for interrogation by police, according to sources within police circles.
Sources within the victim’s family, who revealed that the victim turned 17 years old in November of last year (2023), told our correspondent that the alleged General Overseer had abused their connection for about two years, since she was 15.
According to sources, the General Overseer who sent his wife packing took advantage of the teenager’s yearning to know God better, while also allowing herself to be mentored by the guy who was believed to have healed her of asthma, which had been bothering her since she was eight years old.
“My sister said that the man forced himself on her and led her to an oath never to reveal what was going on between both of them or she risk her asthma affliction coming back, this time more severe.
“He manipulated my sister such that she hated her parents and even wez her relations.
“He even went ahead trying to force my sister to marry him.
“Through his manipulation and fear of losing my sister, he made my sister who had wanted to study medicine not to agree writing her Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exam as she instead opted for a catering school.
“To us, it was surprising how such a brilliant girl would just refuse to pursue her education to choose to go to catering school. We knew that something was wrong, but we never suspected the pastor.
“Each day that they have sex, he uses her up to five times and he gives her contraceptives at the end of the rounds of sex. My sister will wear out and will hardly do house chores and we never knew that a man who visits our house was behind all these.
“The father involved police last week Saturday after she summoned the courage to speak up.
“The matter is with the RRS team in Aba North local government area headquarters, Aba.”
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Maureen Chinaka in a telephone interview on Tuesday confirmed that the said Lead Pastor and General Overseer of the Pentecostal church is still being interrogated by the police.