By Sarah NEGEDU
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has pledged to ensure justice for a 14-year-old girl allegedly raped by a Gwagwalada-based cleric, Pastor Amos Isah.
Isah, founder of Prophetic Victory Voice of Fire Ministry, is currently in police custody following a petition by the victim’s family.
The girl, a secondary school student and church media unit member, accused the pastor of luring her into his office and raping her on May 26.
The suspect allegedly gave her N3,000 and threatened to kill her if she revealed the incident to anyone.
The Mandate Secretary for the FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, Dr. Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, said on Thursday that the administration is treating the case as a top priority and will not shield anyone accused of sexual violence.
Benjamins-Laniyi, in a statement said the administration has zero tolerance for rape and will ensure that justice is served without fear or favour, “This commitment is in tandem with Section 1 of the Child Rights Act Act, 2003. FCT will not harbour and provide a safe haven for any paedophile, whoever he or she may be when caught.
“We will ensure that justice is served at all times when the rights of our children are violated,” she added.
She assured residents that the matter was being handled with all the seriousness it deserves as the FCT Administration has zero tolerance to all forms of gender-based violence and rape.
“Whoever perpetrates such acts, no matter how highly placed, will be prosecuted and face the wrath of the law with no fear or favour.
“The matter of adolescent girls is a priority intervention for the women affair’s secretariat because of their vulnerability at that stage in their development. This is a priority for us. We shall follow it through. Nobody will be covered,” she said.
She said the secretariat is coordinating with relevant authorities, including the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, the Director of Public Prosecution, and the FCT Police Gender Unit.
“I have also gone to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution to the Federation and Deputy Commissioner of Police Rita Emesim, in-charge of Gender, all in pursuit of justice to the rape survivor.
“I have equally directed the Director, Child Department of the Women’s Affairs Secretariat to visit the family of the victim.
“The director had visited the family, discussed and assured them of the FCTA’s commitment to get justice for their only daughter,” she said.
She confirmed that the secretariat’s Director of Child Department has visited the victim’s family and assured them of institutional support.
The mandate secretary also warned against social media harassment of the survivor, particularly condemning influencer Isaiah Gbangbala for posting the victim’s photo online.
“The survivor is not only traumatised but also facing serious health challenges after the incident.
“She had been bleeding accompanied by severe pains and had to be pulled out of school and rushed to the hospital for medical attention.”
On her part, Deputy Commissioner of Police Rita Emesim, assured residents that the suspect would soon be charged to court
She dismissed social media claims that the police was keeping the suspect without charging him to court and considering releasing him saying, “this is a rape case and rape is a federal offence.
“We cannot charge a rape case to a Magistrate Court, it has to be in a Federal High Court and it is not just charging a case to court, we need conviction and for us to get conviction, we need to do due diligence,” she said.
She said that the matter was being handled without prejudice to the accused, adding that if convicted would bear the brunt of the law.
