Founder of a church in Lagos State, identified only as Bishop Daniels has been accused of rape again by two more women.
The two women who came forward with their story after the cleric’s alleged action was exposed by another woman, told Punch that he used a similar trick of summoning them from their branches to his house in Lekki, Lagos State, claiming that they committed offences for which they would be punished before sleeping with them
The two latest victims disclosed that they had also petitioned the FCID over the matter, just after spokesperson for the FCID, Niyi Ogundeyi, said Daniels was arrested and detained for six days over the previous allegation.
One of the ex-worshippers said Daniels also raped her twice, adding that in one instance, the pastor made her lose consciousness.
She said;
“He summoned me to his house in Lekki, Lagos, for punishment and when I got there, he immediately ordered me to get an alcoholic drink.
“After getting it, he ordered me to drink it, but I refused. He got angry that I disobeyed him and kept compelling me to drink it. After drinking a little portion, he told me to drink on, till I became unconscious.
“I found myself naked after he woke me up the next day. He told me he was going out and warned me against opening the door for anybody as he left. I was completely naked and felt his semen around my private parts.
“I cleaned myself and while in the house, a church member, Rachael, knocked on the door. I opened the door and she went inside to pick something and left. When Daniels returned, I told him Rachael came and he became angry that I opened the door for her and started asking if she saw me naked.
“I came to his house from Ekiti State, but he chased me out around 4pm. I got to the park to board a bus to Ekiti around 7pm and the bus departed for Ekiti around 9pm. We had to stop on the way when it was very late. We got to Ekiti around 7am the next day.”
Another former worshipper at Daniel’s church said he used the same tactics of suspension and punishment to lure her to his house in Lagos, where he allegedly raped her.
She said;
“I didn’t do anything wrong in church, but I was suddenly told that I had been suspended and should report to Lagos. Daniels told me to tell the assistant pastor of our branch that I was reporting at the church in Lagos instead of his house.
“When I got there, I had not even dropped my bag or rested from the long journey when he said I should go naked. I said, ‘Go naked like how?’ and he slapped me. I was alone with him and afraid. I quickly pulled off my clothes and after seeing my nakedness, he said I should go and have my bath.
“Later on, he asked if I took alcohol and I said no. He said there was a type of alcohol that I could take that was nice. He gave me the alcoholic drink, I drank it, got drunk and he started making sexual advances at me. Even in my state, I resisted, but he forcefully had sex with me. I had to leave his house and return to school.”
The lady further disclosed that Daniels allegedly raped her on multiple occasions and was also used to drinking alcohol.
On why she kept visiting Daniels’ house despite her experience, she said;
“I don’t know; it was like I was scared; everyone is scared of him. I was 18-year-old and he manipulated me in many ways. Sometimes, he lured me to take alcohol or pills and had sex with me when I became unconscious.
“At times, he would just give order to me to go naked and forcefully have sex with me. Other victims can confirm this. He did not act like he was a pastor with me. I saw him drink alcohol to the point that he started staggering in the whole room, and at times, he vomited. He also gave me different things to swear that I would not tell anybody.
“The second experience was even worse. Despite forcefully having sex with me, he brought a lot of ladies to his house, gave them drugs to use and claimed he was counselling them. He made me do things that were beyond my age when I was 18 years old.
“After I left his house and church, the experiences affected me to the point that I stopped talking to people and had to be taking pills to sleep. I want justice to save other victims.”
FCID spokesperson, Ogundeyi has also confirmed that the two victims made statements against Daniels.
He said;
“Apart from the first complainant (assistant pastor), two other victims have made statements that he raped them. Apart from these three victims, we are expecting two other ladies that said they were also sexually abused by this Bishop Daniels.”
The lady who first went public with the allegation of rape against Bishop Daniels, has also responded to getting blamed for visiting him.
She said;
“My first and second encounters had a six-month interval. I visited his house knowing that he was not alone. I met a pastor and the pastor’s fiancée at his house and we all slept there.
“The pastor and his fiancée left the following day and it was after he realised I was alone with him that he raped me. It was after the incident that I believed a church member’s claim of sexual assault against Daniels and how he did everything to make sure she had no evidence.
“I knew at that moment that I needed evidence and started acting stupid to get it. He used names of highly revered priests to manipulate victims. I have recordings and chats with him to prove my case.
“In fact, he usually ordered me to delete my chats with him and before deleting, I would screen grab and send to a confidant. I have submitted all the evidence at the FCID, Alagbon. He needs to be stopped because of the safety of other people.”
