The General Overseer of Refiners Fire Global Assembly, Pastor Favour Maxy Okoise, was handed a life sentence for the rape of a 16-year-old “spiritual daughter” in Calabar, Cross River State, according to CrossRiverWatch.
The publication states that the ruling was handed down by His Lordship, Hon. Justice Blessing Egwu Obin of the Cross River State Customary Court of Appeal in the Family Court. The judgment was pursued by Gender and Development Action (GADA).
During the months of November through December 2016, in the state’s Calabar South Local Government Area, the persecuted church founder targeted the minor.
The survivor, whose identity is being kept secret for security reasons, stayed with her older sister on Goldie Street in Calabar in August 2016 to take her Post UTME exam. The inmate paid frequent visits to their home to impart spiritual wisdom.
According to the survivor’s testimony, the inmate repeatedly touched her inappropriately and assaulted her sexually. By convincing her that “God needed her body as much as her spirit and soul,” he finally succeeded in coercing her into sexual relations after multiple failed efforts.
He lied to her about his ability to impart spiritual values through sexual relations, forcing her to cooperate against her will and indoctrinating her to see him as a “spiritual father” who could guide her in her devotion to God.
After reviewing the evidence, facts, and testimony of the prosecution and defense, Justice Blessing Egwu Obin declared that “the defendant had unlawful carnal knowledge of the victim (O.P.I) as a minor.”
“Therefore, Favour Maxy Okoise has been sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to pay a compensation of 1 million Naira to the survivor,” she said, using the Cross River State Child Protection Law of 2003. It is the decision of this court.
“We need more activists, we need more voices to be heard to let society know that these kinds of ills can be stopped and that there are punishments for such actions,” said Barrister Doris Nduanusi, one of the prosecuting counsels and lawyers for GADA, who also voiced her approval of the court’s decision.
The group GADA was pleased with the decision, which they hailed as a win for their cause, the voiceless, the legal system, and a warning to would-be rapists.
Program Officer for Legal, Training, and Justice Sector at GADA Barrister Asibong Asi shared these views, stressing that the ruling should act as a deterrent to individuals who abuse children. Furthermore, he emphasized that minors do not provide their consent for sexual activities.