The Ebonyi State Police Command has taken into custody Bishop Ndibueze Onyagoziri Okorie, the General Overseer of Champion the Truth Cathedral, following allegations of engaging in prolonged sexual activity with a 22-year-old woman suffering from sickle cell disease.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, confirmed the arrest, stating that the bishop remains detained at the police headquarters in Abakaliki as investigations continue.
“The bishop is currently in our custody here at the state police command. The case is still under thorough investigation,” the spokesperson remarked.
He added, “Our officers apprehended him on Wednesday, October 1st, in connection with the reported incident.”
In a widely circulated video on social media, the young woman explained that she began residing with the cleric due to her health challenges. Both the bishop and her family agreed that living within the church environment might facilitate her healing through spiritual means.
She revealed that the promised divine intervention did not improve her condition; instead, her health deteriorated. The bishop allegedly convinced her that engaging in sexual relations with him for seven consecutive days would transform her genotype from SS to AA, effectively curing her sickle cell disease.
Driven by desperation to overcome the illness that had already claimed three of her siblings, she consented to the bishop’s proposal.
However, after the week-long encounter, her symptoms worsened significantly. Distressed, she confided in her sister, who intervened and insisted that she leave the church and return home, as the spiritual treatment was evidently ineffective.
The victim also claimed that the bishop threatened to release explicit images of their encounters if she attempted to leave him. Despite these threats, she eventually returned to her village, only to discover that nude photographs of her and the bishop had been shared on social media, sparking public outrage.
In response, Bishop Onyagoziri has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct. He asserted that his phone was stolen and that the perpetrators used Artificial Intelligence technology to fabricate and disseminate the compromising images purportedly showing him and the woman.
