October 08, (THEWILL) — The founder of the Association of People Living with Sickle Cell Disorder, and Executive Director of the Sickle Cell Orphanage and Underprivileged Home Agulu, Anambra State, is demanding quick justice from the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, Anthonia Adaku Uche-Anya, for a sickle cell victim (Names withheld) who was sexually exploited by one Bishop Sam Ndubueze Onyeagoziri Okorie, the General Overseer of Champion the Truth Cathedral.
A press statement issued in Abakaliki and signed by Aisha Edwards Maduagwu, National Coordinator, Association of People Living with Sickle Cell Disorder (APLSCD) and Director, Sickle Cell Orphanage and Underprivileged Home Agulu, requested the Ebonyi State police command to treat this case with diligence.
She implored the Commissioner and the investigative team to prioritise the case, ensuring the Bishop’s detention leads to comprehensive justice for all victims.
She also recalled that the randy Bishop sexually harassed her sometime in 1997, while she was a student in a Bible College at Enugu.
She said, “As a survivor of sexual harassment by this same Bishop sometime in 1997 at Victory International Bible College, at Nzekwe Close Asata Enugu Where the bishop was then a principal of the college and I was a student, I call upon the Ebonyi State police command to treat this case diligently inorder to uncover any similar incidence, as these may go unreported by the victims who might be held back by fear of stigmatisation.
“Bishop Sam Ndubueze is an older man serving as a Bishop—a figure who should have embodied paternal guidance and moral support, not predation. This egregious violation of the sickle cell patient represents a profound betrayal of trust.
“The sickle cell patient, already enduring the physical and emotional challenges of her condition, sought solace and counsel from a religious leader positioned as a father figure. Instead, she was subjected to marathon sexual exploitation and threats that have compounded her suffering.
“My own experience of harassment by this Bishop further underscores his pattern of abuse, exploiting his authority to prey on the vulnerable. These acts not only harm individuals but also erode the foundations of faith, as my conviction in Christendom was shaken.
“Since the harassment, I haven’t again viewed the Pentecostal churches in good light, as I find succour with the Catholic faith through the then Bishop of Enugu Catholic Diocese, Bishop Gbuji, who brought me under his wings, provided for and rehabilitated me through his secretary, Rev Fr. Dr Tony Iloanusi.
“Compounding this pattern of predation are my personal experiences of financial exploitation and fake miracles peddled by the likes of Bishop Ndubueze Okorie, which have left countless families in penury and crippling debts.
“Desperate congregants, including those battling chronic illness like sickle cell, are lured with promises of divine healing and breakthroughs, often requiring exorbitant “seed offerings,” special prayers, or ritualistic payments, that deliver but false hope and financial ruin.
“These predatory tactics strip vulnerable households of their meagre resources, pushing them deeper into poverty while the perpetrators amass wealth under the guise of ministry. This would eventually leave the parents heavily frustrated, making them turn against their children in anger and hate, viewing them as the source of their troubles.
“Part of my advocacy as founder of the Association of People Living with Sickle Cell Disorder, and Executive Director, of the Sickle Cell Orphanage and Underprivileged Home Agulu, Anambra State, is to call for the protection and support for all sickle cell patients and survivors of such exploitations, to have easy access to medical care, counseling, and legal aid tailored to their needs.
“Also, full accountability for every perpetrator abusing sickle cell persons, with charges pursued to the full extent of the law, reinforcing that no position or authority shields one from justice. The State police command under the courageous Commissioner holds a duty to uphold the law and protect the most vulnerable among us.
“We implore the Commissioner and the investigative team to prioritise this case, ensuring the Bishop’s detention leads to comprehensive justice for all victims. Silence or inaction risks perpetuating the cycle of abuse”, she said.
Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
