CrossRiverWatch is reporting that a family court in the Cross River State Customary Court of Appeal has sentenced Pastor Favour Maxy Okoise, the General Overseer of Refiners Fire Global Assembly, to life imprisonment.
According to CrossRiverWatch, Okoise was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a 16-year-old who he termed his “spiritual daughter”.
The publication noted that the judgment presided over by His Lordship, Hon. Justice Blessing Egwu Obin was pursued by Gender and Development Action (GADA).
The convicted church founder took advantage of the minor from November to December 2016 in the Calabar South Local Government Area of the state.
The survivor, whose name has been withheld to protect her identity, came to Calabar in August 2016 for her Post UTME examination and lived with her elder sister on Goldie Street, where the convict frequently visited to share spiritual teachings.
The survivor testified that the convict sexually harassed her and touched her inappropriately multiple times. After several unsuccessful attempts to force her into sexual intercourse, he manipulated her into believing that “God needed her body as much as her spirit and soul.”
He claimed that he could transfer spiritual virtues to her through intercourse, coercing her against her will to comply, and indoctrinating her to accept him as her “spiritual father,” who could help her serve God.
In delivering her verdict, Justice Blessing Egwu Obin stated that after considering the cross-examination, exhibits, and facts presented, she concluded that “the defendant had unlawful carnal knowledge of the victim (O.P.I) as a minor.”
Citing the Cross River State Child Protection Law of 2003, she stated, “Accordingly, Favour Maxy Okoise has been sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to pay a compensation of 1 million Naira to the survivor. This is the judgment of this court.”
One of the prosecuting counsels and lawyer for GADA, Barrister Doris Nduanusi, expressed her approval of the court’s decision, stating that “we need more activists, we need more voices to be heard to let society know that these kinds of ills can be stopped and that there are punishments for such actions.”
GADA expressed satisfaction with the judgment, calling it a significant victory for the organization, for those without a voice, for the judiciary, and a deterrent to rapists who believe they can evade justice.
Barrister Asibong Asi, the Program Officer for Legal, Training, and Justice Sector at GADA, echoed these sentiments, emphasising that the judgment serves as a warning to those abusing minors. “Children do not give consent to sexual acts,” he added.
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