Pastor of Gate of Testimony Church, in Calabar, Cross River State, Hossana Okoi, has been arrested for allegedly raping a lady and threatening to kill her if she tells anyone.

The Police also arrested a 400-Level student of Medicine and Surgery, University of Calabar, (UNICAL), Nnamdi Kingsley Ikezue, for allegedly being in possession of arms and military uniform.

The student has reportedly confessed to being a member of a cult group. He also allegedly told Police that the locally-made pistol found on him was for protection.

Okoi and Ikezue were among 25 suspects paraded by the state command for various crimes. Nine among the suspects were caught robbing at different locations within the state.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Austen Agbonlahor, disclosed that Okoi, who claimed that his church was located in Sierra Leone, was arrested after a lady reported that a pastor, who was supposed to pray for her, had raped and threatened her with a gun not to divulge the incident to anyone.

Okoi, however, told our correspondent that he only took the lady to a wedding and later to a drinking joint.

He said: “I’m the pastor of Gate of Testimony Church, based in Sierra Leone. I came to Nigeria, and met the lady. She said that she was going to a wedding. I did not know her from Adam, but I offered to take her there.

“I gave her N500 to buy water and drink. Later, we met at a joint and drank. That was all that happened. I didn’t take her to anywhere. I don’t know why she decided to frame me up.”

Ikezue, on his part, confessed that he was a cultist and was using the locally-made pistol to protect himself.

He said: “I’m using the Army uniform because I was at the Nigerian Military School, Zaria, before I gained an admission into the University of Calabar to study Medicine and Surgery in 2014. I’m a cultist. I only use the military uniform and my gun to protect myself.”

The suspect, however, claimed the Devil was behind his ordeal because “at the level I am now, I am not supposed to be in the cult.”

The commissioner, Agbonlahor, appealed to parents to monitor their wards, stressing that the police would do everything to rid the society of criminals.

He said: “We’ll continue to ensure that we take criminals out of our society. This command has declared zero tolerance for crime, and since I came in, we have been doing everything to make sure that the state is crime-free.

“I want parents to monitor their children and wards in order to know what they are doing at every point in time.” (New Telegraph)

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