The Ebonyi State Police Command has arrested Bishop Samuel Onyeagoziri, General Overseer of Champions of the Truth Church, following allegations of sexual exploitation made by a 22-year-old congregant, Euphemia Ede.
Police spokesperson Joshua Ukandu confirmed the arrest in Abakaliki on Friday, noting that the cleric was picked up on Wednesday and remains in custody while investigations continue. He added that the bishop would be arraigned after the probe is completed.
Ede, who lives with sickle cell disease, accused the bishop of deceiving her into years of sexual abuse under the guise of “divine healing.” According to her, the cleric claimed her genotype would change from SS to AA if she slept with him for seven consecutive days. She said the abuse began while she was in Senior Secondary School 3 and desperate to avoid an early death like her siblings, who had died from sickle cell complications.
The victim alleged that the bishop, also known as Ndubueze Onyeagoziri Okorie, broke her virginity, repeatedly assaulted her between 2021 and 2025, and kept her under threats in his home. She further claimed he forced her to pose for nude photos, threatened her with a rifle, and refused to delete explicit images despite her pleas since 2021.
The controversy intensified last week when intimate images and videos involving Ede and the cleric surfaced online. While Onyeagoziri dismissed the material as “AI-generated fabrications” by enemies of his ministry, Ede insisted the content was genuine and taken by the bishop himself.
She also alleged that the cleric, despite being married, attempted to force her into marriage this year. Her revelations have provoked outrage in Ebonyi and across Nigeria, with rights groups and residents calling on law enforcement and church authorities to ensure justice is served.
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