Anambra State security operatives have arrested Evangelist Dozie Ezani, general overseer of Jesus Is Ontop Ministry, after he allegedly raped and impregnated a 16-year-old girl placed in his care for deliverance.
The suspect, also referred to as Favour Ezani in some accounts, now sits in police custody at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Awka.
Officers from the Special Anti-Touting Squad picked him up at his poultry farm in Igboukwu, Aguata Local Government Area, on Friday following weeks of monitoring.
According to the squad’s spokesperson, Karen James, the abuse started last November.
The girl’s aunt had brought her from Lagos to Amichi in Nnewi South Local Government Area for what the family believed would be special spiritual deliverance.
Instead, Ezani repeatedly forced himself on her at his church, his residence in Amichi and his farm in the neighbouring community.
He has now left her pregnant.
During questioning, the teenager told investigators she had no choice but to endure the assaults because she lived under the pastor’s roof.
In a video circulated after his arrest, Ezani admitted the sexual encounters but blamed “the devil’s handiwork”.
He said he gave her a mixture of bitter leaf and other herbs in a failed attempt to end the pregnancy and avoid scandal.
He even offered to pay her medical bills if released.
The development has sparked fresh concern over unchecked practices in some independent churches, where vulnerable young people often receive little protection during so-called deliverance sessions.
State officials say they take such cases seriously and will ensure justice for the victim.
Police continue to investigate while the girl receives medical attention. No court date has been fixed yet.
