LAGOS, Nigeria – At the Ikeja High Court, middle-aged man Chigozie Emmanuel accused his pastor, Elijah Emenandy, of heinous acts of sexual assault and spiritual manipulation. Lagos State counsel, Olu Azeez, led the victim’s evidence, painting a disturbing picture of abuse under the guise of spiritual counselling.
On Tuesday, October 31, 2023, Emmanuel recalled the harrowing experiences, which allegedly began when he was 19.
Emenandy had reportedly told Emmanuel’s mother in December 2020 of a vision predicting the young man’s death in February 2021, compelling her to bring him for urgent prayers.
Emmanuel described the subsequent evening visits to Emenandy’s church and the initiation of weekly counseling sessions. “He asked me questions like if I had ever had sex before or masturbated and if I watched pornography,”
Emmanuel recounted, further stating he was warned against adopting fraudulent behaviors. “He advised me not to get into fraud and that I should change my lifestyle. I stopped wearing earrings, my dress code, and how I speak.”
The testimony quickly took a dark turn as Emmanuel accused Emenandy of introducing him to explicit content.
The pastor allegedly encouraged him to watch pornographic videos in his church office, instructing him on masturbation. In a shocking account, Emmanuel said, “After trying for some time, I ejaculated, and the defendant looked at my semen and said it was ok.”
Emmanuel’s testimony delved deeper into the harrowing ordeal, alleging that the pastor promised to finance his education in exchange for moving to his Mile 2 Lagos apartment.
What followed were distressing accounts of forced acts, physical abuse, and coerced consumption of inappropriate substances.
“He said every time we ejaculated together, life was transferred from his own to mine so that I won’t die. I believed him because he was like my spiritual father,” an emotionally distressed Emmanuel told the courtroom.
Emmanuel also described an incident where the pastor allegedly pierced him with a syringe, causing “black blood” to spurt out. On another occasion, Emenandy reportedly forced him to consume canine feces.
Justice Oyindamola Ogala has adjourned the case until December 11 and 14 for further proceedings.
Despite these grave allegations, Emenandy, who appeared frail and was said to have been transported from a hospital, maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to the three-count charge of sexual assault.
