A self-acclaimed pastor, identified as Prophet Emmanuel (sur name
withheld), has reportedly beaten his wife to coma and broken her leg. The
prophet also reportedly chained his son within the premises church at
Berger area of the Lagos metropolis.
Emmanuel was arrested by the Lagos
State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) and later
handed over to the police at Surulere Police Station.
According
to DSVRT officials, at the time of his arrest, the prophet, who claimed
to possess healing powers, also have 32 other church members in chains.
They were said to have come for spiritual/mental healing. It was
gathered that Emmanuel had a misunderstanding with his wife which made
him beat her.
He broke her leg in the process. Speaking on the
incident, the DSVRT Coordinator, Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, described
the incident as ridiculous and unlawful. Vivour-Adeniyi said the state
government would not condone domestic violence and urged the victims of
sexual and gender-based violence to speak out.
According to her,
the government is ready to fight all such causes and ensure justice is
done. She said: “The prophet who lives at … Close Unity Estate, Imodium,
Berger, Lagos, beat his wife, Funke, and broke her leg. He also beat
his two sons and chained one of the sons while one of them ran away from
the house. “He claims to be a prophet with healing powers.
All
incidents took place in his church. There were 32 people in chains whom
he claimed were being treated for mental illness. Information was
received through the Lagos State distress call service.” Vivour-Adeniyi
added that the team would ensure justice in the matter.
However,
there was a dramatic twist to the case yesterday when senior police
officer handling the case at Surulere Police Station said the man had
been released based on the denial of the wife and his sons, who did not
want their father to be jailed for domestic violence.
The
officer, who pleaded anonymity, said: “The woman came to us and denied
being attacked. Truly, her leg was broken and there were scars on her
face, which showed that she was truly attacked. But we ran into
difficulties when the woman denied that she was not beaten by her
husband.
“She said she had an accident and even her children too
denied being beaten. We saw some scars on some of them which showed that
they were also flogged. But they all told us different stories and you
know when the principal witnesses are denying that, we won’t have
evidence in court to substantiate our case.
“Of course there were
evidences of scars, broken leg, but they all denied that. There were
about 32 other persons in chain, who he claimed are mentally ill. When
people voluntarily go to a place and on the grounds that they are
spiritually or mentally ill, what can we do?” The state government
inaugurated DSVRT in September 2014 as a response to the increase in
incidents of rape, defilement, domestic violence, child abuse, neglect
and maltreatment.
Last month, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode met with
the team. He charged DSVRT to go all out and increase victim safety and
offender responsibility by providing a cross jurisdictional response
that is uniform in approach in the way Sexual and Gender Based Violence
cases are handled in the state.