A 63-year-old cleric, Pastor Luke Eze, has been remanded in a correctional facility in Enugu State for allegedly drugging and raping two sisters, aged 16 and 19, under the guise of conducting a deliverance session.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, who confirmed the incident in a statement on Tuesday, said the suspect was arrested on September 11, 2025, by operatives of the Iwollo Police Division after the victims’ parents reported the case.
According to Ndukwe, investigations revealed that on September 7, the cleric lured the 16-year-old girl to his church, City of Hope Ministry, also known as “Ọkụ Night,” located in Oghe community, Ezeagu Local Government Area.
He explained: “The suspect deceived the teenager into performing an empty-mortar-pounding ritual, after which he administered a stupefying liquid substance that rendered her unconscious.
He then raped her. When she failed to return home, her 19-year-old sister went in search of her, only to be subjected to the same ritual and sexual assault.”
The police spokesman added that the victims regained consciousness the following afternoon, naked and with bloodstains on their private parts, alongside other evidence of assault.
Recovered from the scene were two plastic bottles containing substances suspected to have been used to incapacitate the victims. The items, according to Ndukwe, have been sent for forensic analysis.
During interrogation, Pastor Eze reportedly confessed to the crime, blaming his actions on “the devil.”
Ndukwe further stated: “He has been arraigned in court following the conclusion of investigations by the Gender and Anti-Human Trafficking Section of the State CID and has been remanded in correctional custody.”
The Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, condemned the act, describing it as abominable and senseless.
He urged parents and the public to be vigilant and avoid falling prey to criminal elements hiding under the cloak of spirituality.
Giwa assured that the police remain committed to ensuring justice for the victims.
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