Court Jails Choir Master 25 Years for Raping 16-Year-Old Under ‘Deliverance’ Guise

An Anambra State High Court sitting in the Ogidi Judicial Division has sentenced a choir master, James Onuorah, to 25 years in prison for raping a 16-year-old girl under the guise of conducting spiritual deliverance.

Justice Chudi Nwankwo, in a judgment delivered at the court, also sentenced Onuorah to seven years imprisonment for offensive conduct, with both sentences to run concurrently.

The court further ordered the convict to pay N5 million in compensation to the victim.

Onuorah, who served as a choirmaster and church teacher at Iba Pope Parish, Awada, had been arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on rape, offensive conduct and indecent assault.

The charges were brought under relevant provisions of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition and Protection) Law of Anambra State, 2017 and the Criminal Code, Cap 36, Revised Laws of Anambra State, 1991.

The prosecution was led by Mrs Millicent Akuewulu-Ikeabunze and Nkiru Nzekwu. According to the prosecution, the case began after Onuorah allegedly convinced the victim's mother that her daughters were suffering from marine spirits and needed spiritual deliverance.

The prosecution told the court that the mother, believing the claims, allowed her daughters to attend prayer sessions at the defendant's residence on Amanafor Street, Awada, in Obosi community, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

It was during the purported spiritual sessions, according to the prosecution, that Onuorah allegedly exploited his position of authority and sexually assaulted the 16-year-old under the pretext of carrying out deliverance rites.

The prosecution further told the court that the assault resulted in the teenager becoming pregnant and subsequently giving birth to a child in April.

A hospital discharge document relating to the delivery was tendered in evidence and admitted by the court.

The prosecution also presented evidence concerning a separate allegation involving the victim's elder sister, who testified as the first prosecution witness.

The victim herself testified as the fourth prosecution witness, while four witnesses testified in total during the trial.

Onuorah denied the allegations against him.

The court, however, rejected a confessional statement attributed to the defendant after finding that it did not comply with the requirements of Section 13 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Anambra State.

In his judgment, Justice Nwankwo held that the prosecution had successfully established the charges of rape and offensive conduct against Onuorah beyond reasonable doubt.

The judge described the victim's testimony as direct and consistent, noting that her account remained unshaken during cross-examination.

The court also found that the pregnancy and subsequent birth of the child provided corroborating evidence supporting the victim's account of the sexual assault.

On that basis, Justice Nwankwo convicted Onuorah on the rape and offensive conduct charges.

However, the court discharged and acquitted him on the separate charge of indecent assault involving the victim's elder sister.

The judge said the prosecution had failed to prove that allegation to the required standard, particularly because there was no formal complaint or report concerning the alleged incident said to have occurred in 2014.

During the allocutus stage of the proceedings, when the defendant was given an opportunity to plead for leniency, Onuorah appealed to the court for mercy.

The prosecution, however, urged the court to impose the mandatory life sentence prescribed under the relevant Violence Against Persons Law and to order restitution for the victim.

After considering the evidence and submissions before it, the court imposed a 25-year prison sentence for rape and a seven-year sentence for offensive conduct.

Justice Nwankwo ordered that both terms should run concurrently, meaning the convict will serve the sentences at the same time rather than consecutively.

The court also ordered Onuorah to pay N5 million compensation to the victim.

The conviction underscores the court's finding that the prosecution established the defendant's guilt on the two offences beyond reasonable doubt, while the separate indecent assault allegation involving the victim's elder sister was not proved to the required legal standard.