Our Reporter
Two women have accused the founder and General Overseer of Living Christ Mission, Obiajunwa Onukogu, popularly known as Daddy Hezekiah, of sexually abusing them while they were minors attending church programmes more than two decades ago.
The allegations are contained in separate written testimonies by Kelechi Ibe, 39, and Onyekachi J. Eze, 40, who said they decided to speak publicly after years of silence.
The women alleged that the incidents occurred in the 1990s when they belonged to the “Princess of Daddy Hezekiah,” a church group for young girls participating in programmes in Port Harcourt, Onitsha and the church headquarters in Nkwere, Imo State.
According to the testimonies, parents often left after the opening days of conventions, leaving their children in the care of church officials until the events ended.
The women alleged that they were repeatedly summoned to the cleric’s private quarters under the pretext of confirming they had remained virgins, where they were subjected to inappropriate sexual touching while they were minors.
They further alleged that they were warned not to disclose the incidents to anyone, including their parents or fellow group members, leaving them too frightened to speak out for years.
Ibe said the alleged abuse began when she was about 12 or 13 years old and occurred repeatedly during church conventions. She said she eventually disclosed her experience after she and her sister, also a former member of the group, compared their experiences after leaving the church.
Eze similarly alleged that the abuse began during a church visit to Onitsha and continued after she joined the same group in Port Harcourt.
The women said they later discovered similarities in their experiences and believe other former members of the group may have had similar encounters.
They identified some of those they said have come forward as Nkechi Nwofor, Angela Michael, Sopuruchukwu, Nkiru Arum, Vivian Nmezi and Ihegboro Chibuzo.
The women said the experiences had long-lasting emotional effects and that they hoped their testimonies would encourage other survivors to come forward.
The allegations have not been independently verified, and no court has made any findings on the claims.
Efforts to obtain a response from Onukogu and Living Christ Mission were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
