Choirmaster Jailed 25 Years for Raping Teenager During Deliverance in Anambra

Jailed

Choirmaster Jailed 25 Years for Raping Teenager During Deliverance in Anambra

An Anambra State High Court sentences church teacher to 25 years imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl under the guise of spiritual deliverance, awarding N5 million compensation to the victim

An Anambra State High Court sitting in the Ogidi Judicial Division has convicted and sentenced James Onuorah, a choirmaster and church teacher at Iba Pope Parish, Awada, to 25 years imprisonment for raping a 16-year-old girl under the pretext of spiritual deliverance . Justice Chudi Nwankwo, who delivered the judgment on Friday, July 17, 2026, also sentenced the defendant to seven years imprisonment for offensive conduct, with both terms to run concurrently, and ordered him to pay N5 million as compensation to the victim .

Onuorah was arraigned on a three-count charge of rape, offensive conduct and indecent assault, with the charges brought under the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition and Protection) Law of Anambra State, 2017, and the Criminal Code of Anambra State . The prosecution, led by Mrs Millicent Akuewulu-Ikeabunze and Nkiru Nzekwu, presented a case alleging abuse of trust and exploitation of spiritual authority .

According to the charge sheet, the defendant deceived the victim’s mother into believing that all her daughters were possessed by “marine spirits and spiritual husbands” and needed deliverance at his residence on Amanafor Street, Awada, Obosi community in Idemili North Local Government Area . Relying on this claim, the mother permitted her daughters to attend prayer sessions at the defendant’s home .

Exploiting this position of spiritual authority, Onuorah lured the 16-year-old victim to his altar, ordering her to strip naked under the claim that it was “the direction of the Holy Spirit” . He went further to collect her menstrual blood and ovulation discharge before having sexual intercourse with her, claiming that a “spiritual husband” had caused fibroids in her womb and that the only cure was sex with him . The assault resulted in the victim’s pregnancy, and she delivered a baby in April 2026, with a hospital discharge document confirming the delivery tendered and admitted as evidence .

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The prosecution also alleged that the defendant committed a similar act against the victim’s elder sister, who testified as the first prosecution witness, while the victim testified as the fourth witness . In all, four witnesses testified for the prosecution. The defendant denied the charges, and the court rejected his confessional statement for failing to comply with Section 13 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Anambra State .

Justice Nwankwo, in delivering the judgment, held that the prosecution proved the rape and offensive conduct charges beyond reasonable doubt . The judge described the victim’s testimony as direct, consistent and unshaken under cross-examination, adding that the pregnancy and subsequent delivery served as corroborating evidence of her account . During allocutus, the defendant pleaded for leniency, while the prosecution urged the court to impose the mandatory life sentence prescribed under the Violence Against Persons Law . The court, however, imposed 25 years imprisonment for rape and seven years for offensive conduct, with both sentences to run concurrently .

The court, however, discharged and acquitted the defendant on the third count relating to indecent assault against the victim’s elder sister, holding that the prosecution failed to prove the alleged 2014 incident due to the absence of a formal complaint or report at the time .

This case is one of several involving religious figures in Anambra State who have exploited their positions of spiritual authority to commit sexual offences. In April 2026, a 16-year-old girl, Precious Okafor, narrated how a pastor allegedly raped her on a church altar during a “special deliverance” session, claiming she was possessed by seven marine spirits . Similarly, in Enugu State, a 63-year-old pastor, Luke Eze, was arrested and arraigned for allegedly raping two biological sisters during a deliverance session at his church .