A middle-aged man, Chigozie Emmanuel, has testified in an Ikeja High Court against his pastor, Elijah Emenandy, on charges of sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault.
He allegedly that his pastor introduced him to pornography and masturbation and anal sex in his church office.
He was led in evidence by Lagos State counsel, Mr Olu Azeez.
Emmanuel, who recounted how the alleged incident took place when he was 19 years old, said Emenandy had informed his mother in December 2020 that he had a vision concerning him, predicting that he would die in February 2021.
According to the alleged survivor, Emenandy then requested that his mother bring him for immediate prayers.
Emmanuel said he initially didn’t take the prediction seriously but later did when he received another message from Emenandy insisting that he should see him immediately.
Narrating how he went to see the pastor, Emmanuel said and his mother ad himself visited Emenandy during an evening programme at his church.
According to him, subsequently, when Emenandy expressed his desire to meet with Emmanuel, the latter decided to go alone, without his mother.
During the meeting, Emenandy mentioned that they had previously met in another church where he had been Emmanuel’s teacher. Emenandy claimed to have received a vision of Emmanuel’s death and offered to pray for him, while also initiating weekly counseling sessions on Tuesdays.
Emenandy asked Emmanuel about his sexual experiences, including whether he had engaged in sexual activities, watched pornography, had wet dreams, or participated in fraudulent activities. Emmanuel denied involvement in most of these activities, though he admitted to considering fraud.
According to Emmanuel’s testimony, Emenandy advised him against pursuing fraudulent activities and encouraged him to change his lifestyle.
As a result, Emmanuel altered his appearance, including ceasing to wear earrings and modifying how he dressed and spoke.
“He said he will pray for me and I should come for counselling every Tuesday. He told me other things and that he would be giving me spiritual assignments.
“He asked me questions like if I had ever had sex before or masturbated and if I watched pornography. He also asked if I had wet dreams or if I am into fraud. I said I have not done those things but I was about getting into fraud.
“He advised me not to get into fraud and I should change my lifestyle and I did. I stopped wearing earrings, my dress-code and how I speak.”
The witness alleged that the accused, thereafter, invited him to his office and asked him to take off his trouser and that he should touch his manhood until it becomes hard, but that he declined because he had never experience such before.
He told the court that after a while, the defendant removed his clothes and asked him (witness) to do same and sit on his laps and then suck the defendant’s nipples.
The witness told the court that at first, he refused, but the defendant told him that he was releasing powers from his body to remove demonic spirit.
The witness said the defendant started showing porn videos on his phone, in his church office, on how to masturbate.
He said that the pastor took him to his friend’s house where he did same and asked him to stand on a Bible and masturbate.
The witness said he could not obliged the pastor asked him to do.
“After trying for sometime, I ejaculated and the defendant looked at my semen and said it was ok,” he noted.
According to the witness, the pastor told him that he should ejaculate more often and then invited him to bed to suck his nipples.
“He asked me to suck his nipple until he ejaculates and said that was how he had helped other boys.
“Then we started again at the church, he will just go naked and asked me to suck his nipples and masturbate, that everytime we ejaculate together, life was transferred from his own to mine so that I won’t die. I believed him because he was like my spiritual father.
“He then promised to help in my education and everything, that I should move to his house after telling my mum, but I did not tell my dad. I moved to his room and parlor self-contain apartment somewhere in Mile 2.
“I met a guy, a lady and a little baby in the house. The lady and the child slept in the room while we slept in the parlor. At night, he started touching me again and made me suck his nipples while he sucked mine, we did this every night,” Emmanuel added.
The witness further said that the defendant, thereafter, requested to penetrate his anus, but he refused and the next morning the defendant was angry and said he refused him to do the work of God with him the previous night.
He told the court that days later, because the defendant was persistent, he agreed to anal sex and was seriously bruised and bled for two days.
According to the witness, the pastor made him to masturbate twice daily while being asked to drink the pastor’s urine everyday.
An act, he said he refused at first but later did after much pressure.
The witness further said that the defendant would ejaculate in his mouth and said it was power being transferred.
Emmanuel said the defendant also told him to eat his faeces which he did once and vomited.
However, problem started when the witness said he started watching pornography on his own with the phone the defendant gave to him.
He said the defendant asked him to always watch same sex pornography and not the opposite sex and he would beat him up, whenever he had a wet dream, piercing his manhood, scrotum and his stomach with a syringe.
He informed the court that on one of such occasions, the defendant used the needle to pierce his veins while black blood gushed.
The witness said that at a particular time, the defendant pierced his body, used St. Micheal oil on his eyes and poured grinded pepper on his bleeding body while asking him to eat the faeces of a dog and had to comply.
The witness also told the court that he thereafter vomited.
Justice Oyindamola Ogala adjourned the case until Dec. 11 and Dec. 14 for continuation of trial.
The defendant, who appeared sick and reported to have been brought from the hospital, is standing trial on a three-count charge of sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault.
The offences is contrary to Section 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
He pleaded not guilty on arraignment.(NAN)
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