The Enugu State Police Command has arraigned and secured the court-ordered remand of a 63-year-old pastor, Luke Eze, for the alleged rape of two sisters (names withheld), aged 16 and 19.
The suspect was arrested on September 11, 2025, by operatives of the Iwollo Police Division of the Command, following a report by the victims’ parent.
Investigations revealed that the pastor lured the 16-year-old victim to his church, City of Hope Ministry, a.k.a. “Ọkụ Night,” at Okunito-Amansiodo in the Oghe community of Ezeagu LGA, for a “deliverance session” on September 7, 2025. After having her engage in an empty-mortar-pounding ritual, he administered a stupefying liquid substance that rendered her unconscious, enabling him to rape her.
When the younger sister did not return, her 19-year-old sibling (the second victim) went to the church, where she was subjected to the same deceptive ritual. The suspect administered the substance to her as well, and after she lost consciousness, he similarly violated her. Both victims regained consciousness the following afternoon, September 8, to find themselves naked, with bloodstains on their private parts and other physical evidence of the assault.
The police recovered two plastic bottles containing the unidentified substance the suspect administered to the victims for forensic analysis. Luke Eze confessed to the crimes, blaming it on “the devil.”
He has been arraigned in court, after conclusion of investigations by the Gender and Anti-Human Trafficking Section of the Command’s State CID, and remanded in correctional custody.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, psc, has condemned the act as abominable and senseless, cautioning parents and the public against falling prey to criminal elements masquerading as spiritual leaders. He assures the public of the Command’s commitment to ensuring justice is served in the case.
