A woman, Mrs Esther James who was allegedly raped by her church pastor, Treasure Igbonazabi, while pregnant, has finally delivered a set of twins.
It was gathered the woman put to bed after months of apprehension due to complication arising from the assault by the pastor.
Pastor Igbonazabi of the Living Word Revival Assembly Church in Egbeda, Lagos was arrested and charged to a Lagos court with sexually assault and rape of Esther inside the church premises located at Samuel Banjo Street, Car Wash Bus Stop, Abule-Odo, Egbeda, Lagos.
Esther was eight-month pregnant when the incident happened.
Due to the forcefully penetration by the pastor, Esther was injured and started bleeding from her private and was rushed to a hospital where she has been under special intensive care unit until she delivered.
The husband, Mr. James confirmed the news as he expressed gratitude to God after the delivery.
Esther was under intense pressure to withdraw the matter before the court because of the negative image it has on the church, but her husband insisted she must first deliver before he could consider any other thing due to the complication.
Though the church management has sacked Igbonazabi from the church, he is still facing trial at the court for the alleged offence.
P.M.EXPRESS had reported that the police at Area M Command, Idimu arrested and docked Igbonazabi for allegedly sexually assault and rape Esther inside the church premises.
The suspect was arraigned before Magistrate’s court sitting in Ejigbo with conduct likely to cause breach of public peace, assault and having forcefully carnal knowledge of the victim.
He was remanded in prison custody.
The cleric, who hail from Ihiala town in Anambra State and married with four children, allegedly tore Esther’s pant who is married with five children and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her from her back.
Pastor Igbonazabi was said to have had anal sex with the pregnant woman.
The victim said she went to fetch water from a tap inside the church premises in the evening when Igbonazabi came out from his apartment wearing boxer pant, grabbed her and tore her pant and forcefully penetrated her from her back when her husband had not returned from work.
The James family moved into the church premises after the husband’s business collapsed and they were unable to pay for their rent in January this year.
When they moved into an apartment inside the church and became a full member of the church, Igbonazabi started pestering Esther for sex before she became pregnant.
The woman said she was afraid to tell her husband for fear of losing the accommodation offered to her family by the church until the day the pastor allegedly raped her.
She said she couldn’t hide what the pastor did to her especially with the bleeding thus she told her husband what happened. The matter was reported to the police who arrested Igbonazabi and charged him to court where he pleaded not guilty.
Igbonazabi had confessed he had been sleeping with Esther in the church premises and denied he raped her as claimed by the police.
The presiding Magistrate, Mrs J.O.E Adeyemi granted the suspects bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum and remanded in prison untill he will perfected his bail conditions.
The matter was further adjourned till 30 January 2017.
– PM Express
