Kenneth Duke, a 52-year-old bishop based in Abuja, will spend 20 years in prison for raping the 12-year-old daughter of his church member.
According to a statement released on Wednesday by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and quoted by The Punch, an FCT High Court sentenced the bishop without an option of fine.
Vincent Adekoye, the spokesperson of NAPTIP, said the girl “was entrusted under the care of his (the bishop’s) family.” She was raped on March 6, 2023, the day after the girl’s mother took her to live with the bishop.
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“On March 5, 2023, her mother took her to the church located at Dantata Zuba Expressway, and after the service, she was taken to the family house of the bishop, who is also the pastor of the church, so that she could stay with them to enable the bishop’s wife to take her to where she would learn a skill which both families had earlier discussed,” NAPTIP stated.
“It was gathered that the following day, March 6, 2023, the convict, father of five children, sent his children on an errand, and being alone with the victim at home at about 10:00 a.m., gave her some mathematics work to solve and as she was trying to do it, the bishop pounced on her, covered her mouth and violently raped her on a chair despite her crying and pleading.”
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Following the incident, NAPTIP sued the 52-year-old clergyman, who was arraigned on November 2, 2023, for rape and intentionally causing emotional and psychological abuse on the girl, an offence punishable under the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.
Justice Adebiyi Osolo of the Abuja High Court found the bishop guilty of rape and, consequently, sentenced him to 20 years in jail without an option of a fine.
The post Abuja Bishop Gets 20-Year Prison Sentence for Raping Church Member’s Daughter appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.