A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting at Gudu has sentenced a prominent church founder and bishop of a popular congregation in Abuja, Kenneth Duke, to 20 years in prison for rape.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) National Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, disclosed it this Wednesday. He said Duke penetrated the victim with his manhood, which is an offence punishable under the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.
The victim, who was put into the care of his family, was identified as the daughter of a member of the church.
He said, “The report indicated that on March 5, 2023, her mother took her to the church located at Dantata Zuba Expressway, and after the service, she was taken to the family house of the bishop, who is also the pastor of the church, so that she could stay with them to enable the bishop’s wife to take her to where she will learn a skill that both families had earlier discussed.
It was gathered that the following day, 6th March 2023, the convict, father of 5 children, sent his children on an errand, and being alone with the victim at home at about 10 am, gave her some mathematics work to solve, and as she was trying to do it, the bishop pounced on her, covered her mouth, and violently raped her on a chair despite her crying and pleading.”
Duke was arraigned before the court on November 2, 2023, on a two-count charge for the offence of rape and intentionally caused emotional and psychological abuse of the victim.
The case was presided over by Hon. Justice Adebiyi Osolo, who sentenced Duke without an option of fine.