A High Court sitting in Benin, Edo State, has ordered the remand of a 38-year-old pastor, Simeon Okehielem, over allegations of raping a married woman after giving her an unidentified substance to consume.
Okehielem, who is popularly known as Ebube Wonder of the Ebube Wonders Synagogue Prayers Ministry, also referred to as Healing and Deliverance Mountain, is facing a two-count charge bordering on rape and felony with intent.
According to the police prosecutor, Polycap Odion, the alleged offence took place in February 2022 in the Uholor Community, within the court’s jurisdiction.
He told the court that the incident reportedly resulted in the birth of a child outside the victim’s marriage.
Odion further alleged that “the defendant gave the woman an unknown substance to swallow, and raped her while she was unconscious.”
The charges, the court heard, contravene Section 4 and are punishable under Section 5(1) of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2021. They also breach Section 256 of the Criminal Law of Edo State, 2022.
The prosecutor, through a motion ex parte, asked that the defendant be remanded for 14 days, pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
Justice Anthony Erhabor granted the request and ordered Okehielem’s remand in a correctional facility. The matter was adjourned until July 25 for hearing