TheCable

The Lagos state police command has arrested Chukwuma Nkwocha, general overseer of the Tongue of Fire Restoration Ministry, located in the Shogunle area of the state, for allegedly keeping 30 under-aged girls as sex slaves.

According to New Telegraph, Nkwocha was holding a service on Tuesday when operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) stormed the church to pick him up.

The newspaper quoted Dolapo Badmos, police public relations officer (PPRO) in the state, as saying Fatai Owoseni, commissioner of police, had ordered investigation into the case.

Badmos said two of the girls had confessed that Nkwocha had carnal knowledge of them.

“The command rescued about 30 young girls from the pastor’s custody,” Dolapo reportedly said.

“Two of them acknowledged he had canal knowledge of them. However, investigation is ongoing.”

A younger brother of the pastor identified as Ikechukwu denied the allegation that the pastor was having affairs with the girls.

He said his brother was only assisting them, explaining that a petition by one of the girls, whom the pastor had disagreement with, led to the arrest of Nkwocha.

“The girl was brought to the church by a member after complaining of accommodation problem to that person,” he said.

“He is such a nice person. When some of the girls come to the church and complain of accommodation, he always comes to their aid by providing them an apartment in his house.

“The pastor is my blood brother. It was God who called him. Even as part of his efforts to alleviate the suffering of some of his church members, he is paying their school fees.

“He also registered some of them for the General Certificate Examination (GCE) and the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC)-conducted Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

“He is only assisting them; why should they pay him back in this form?”