A 36-year-old former church member has provided shocking testimony to SaharaReporters detailing alleged decades-long sexual predation by Pastor Chris Okafor, founder of Liberation City, claiming the prominent televangelist raped her when she was a 15-year-old choir girl in 2004, fathered a child he abandoned, and years later sexually assaulted that same daughter when she was approximately 14 years old.

The woman, who identified herself as Ama to protect her identity while coming forward after more than 20 years of silence, described a harrowing pattern of alleged sexual violence, spiritual manipulation, and family betrayal that began when she delivered snails as a church offering to Okafor’s residence on Bashiru Street in Ojodu-Berger, Lagos, in late 2004.

“He said he was done with the snails and asked me to come see him,” Ama recounted in an interview with SaharaReporters. “I finished quickly and went to the lounge. He then came out and asked me to come inside his room. It was his bedroom. There was a bed and a table in front. He asked me to sit. He thanked me for washing the snails and appreciated my mother.”

What followed, according to Ama’s testimony, was a violent sexual assault. “Suddenly, he touched me inappropriately. I asked, ‘What is this?’ He then locked the door. I was scared and said, ‘Please, I have not done this before,'” she stated, describing how the pastor allegedly overpowered her despite her resistance.

“He pushed me on the bed. I could not overpower him. Before I knew what was happening, I went blank. When I recovered, I was on the floor, bleeding. I cried, asking what I had done to deserve this,” Ama told SaharaReporters, detailing the traumatic assault that she alleges occurred when she was just 15 years old and had no prior sexual experience.

In the immediate aftermath of the alleged rape, Ama claims that Okafor employed his religious authority to confuse and control her, using spiritual manipulation to frame the assault within a religious context that would make disclosure difficult. “He asked me to clean myself. While I was crying, he brought out a jotter. On the back was something written in pencil. He held my shoulder and asked me to look. He verbally told me that the Holy Spirit said I was his wife,” she recounted.

“I did not know what to say or do. I dropped the jotter on the bed. When he left, I looked again and read the pencil: ‘Amarachi, you are my wife, says the Holy Spirit.’ He told me to go to the restroom and clean up. I did. I left, crying,” Ama stated, describing how the pastor allegedly invoked divine authority to justify sexual violence against a minor under his spiritual care.

Pastor Okafor allegedly warned Ama that he was a prophet whom nobody should speak against, threatening consequences if she disclosed the assault. “He said if I told anyone, something bad would happen. He warned me never to mention what happened to anybody,” she told SaharaReporters, describing the fear-based silence that victims of clergy sexual abuse often maintain for years or decades.

Ama described overwhelming fear following the assault. “The fear I had in me was overwhelming because I was young. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t tell my left from my right. I was confused and disoriented, but I managed to get home that way,” she stated, capturing the psychological trauma that sexual violence inflicts on adolescent victims who lack frameworks for processing such violations.

By the second month following the alleged assault, Ama noticed changes in her body indicating pregnancy. She confided in a trusted relative who she believed would help her navigate the crisis. “I called her and said I didn’t know what would happen to me, but I needed to say it. I told her what happened when I went to my pastor’s house. She screamed. She told me to wait and said she would come. When she arrived, she said she was in a hurry and asked how we could maintain my mother’s peace. That was always my biggest concern—my mother,” Ama recounted.

According to Ama’s testimony, Okafor attempted to force her to terminate the pregnancy to conceal evidence of the alleged sexual assault. “He gave me money and told me to go to a hospital to terminate the pregnancy. I refused. I told him I couldn’t do it. My exams were coming up in two days,” she stated, describing how she resisted pressure to undergo an abortion despite being a pregnant 15-year-old facing school examinations.

“He begged me. He reminded me that he was a pastor and a prophet. He said the pregnancy must not stay. I told him I couldn’t do it. At that time, there were many rumours of people dying from abortions. Even on my street, people talked about it a lot. I was scared,” Ama explained, referencing widespread concerns in Nigeria about unsafe abortion procedures that have caused maternal deaths.

“He told me not to forget that he was a prophet and that he would pray for me so that nothing would happen. He said I should forget everything and trust him. I left in fear,” she told SaharaReporters, describing continued spiritual manipulation as Okafor allegedly attempted to persuade her to eliminate the pregnancy resulting from rape.

Eventually, Ama disclosed the assault and pregnancy to her mother, triggering family intervention that led to confrontation with the pastor. “When he was called, he didn’t deny it. He stayed calm at first. My mother asked what we were going to do, saying this was a girl who had known nothing. She accused him of raping her daughter and threatening her,” Ama recounted, describing initial family discussions about the crisis.

“Later, family members intervened. He apologised and said they should forgive him. He said he would marry me. More discussions followed, involving elders and family members. In the end, my mother took me to the village to stay with relatives. That was how everything unfolded,” she stated, explaining how traditional conflict resolution through family mediation replaced criminal prosecution despite the alleged rape of a minor.

For years following the birth of their daughter, whom Ama named Precious, she struggled to raise the child alone with Okafor providing no financial support according to her testimony. Her attempts to seek assistance for the child’s education allegedly led to further sexual violation.

Ama described a second alleged assault that occurred when she visited Okafor to request school fees for their daughter. “The only thing I remember clearly before the incident was that he stood up from his chair and tapped my shoulder. I went blank. The next thing I remember was seeing him wiping himself. I saw that my own clothes were down. I started crying,” she recounted, suggesting she lost consciousness before the alleged sexual assault occurred.

“To this day, I ask myself, ‘What did I do to you?’ You raped me again because I came to ask for your child’s school fees and upkeep,” Ama stated, characterizing the alleged second assault as punishment or exploitation for seeking support for the child born from the first rape.

“He started apologising. He said he liked me, that was why he did it. He warned me not to let anybody know. He reminded me again that he was a prophet and nobody must hear about it,” she told SaharaReporters, describing a pattern where Okafor allegedly used religious authority to enforce silence about repeated sexual violence.

Years later, according to Ama’s testimony, family pressure led her to allow Precious to live temporarily with Okafor, a decision she made reluctantly based on his wealth and assurances that he would provide proper care. “There were times he pressured me heavily. I told my mother what he was saying. Some family members felt that since he had money and claimed he wanted to take responsibility, I should allow the child go to him, considering how much we had struggled. Eventually, under pressure, I took her there,” she explained.

The arrangement quickly deteriorated, with Ama alleging she was denied regular access to visit her daughter. “She was repeatedly denied visits, sometimes begging security guards for a glimpse just to briefly see the child,” SaharaReporters reported, describing how Ama alleged the child was deliberately hidden to prevent maternal contact and avoid questions about the girl’s origins.

The situation reached what Ama characterized as a catastrophic point when Precious confided disturbing information to her mother. “Later, my daughter called me, crying, saying something was wrong and that she needed to see me before she left the house. I finished what I was doing and left immediately,” Ama recounted, describing her daughter’s desperate call for help.

“When my daughter was finally with me, she opened up fully. She told me how she was treated differently, how she was denied food, how she was constantly told to leave the house, and how she never felt like she belonged. She said there were no pictures of her among the family photos, and it made her feel unwanted,” Ama stated, detailing allegations of neglect and emotional abuse in addition to more serious accusations.

“I reassured her that she would not return there, that she was safe now, and that everything would be okay. She later opened up to me how her father had been sexually assaulting her (Pastor Chris) too in multiple instances during all her stays with him,” Ama told SaharaReporters, revealing allegations that Okafor had sexually assaulted his own biological daughter in a pattern mirroring the alleged assault of her mother.

The alleged assaults of Precious occurred around 2019 and early 2020 when she was approximately 14 years old, according to Ama’s testimony—nearly the same age her mother had been when the initial alleged rape occurred in 2004. “He assaulted her around 2019 and early 2020 when she was barely 14 years old,” Ama stated, describing what she characterized as generational sexual violence.

“It was a very traumatic news for all of us then, this is because the assault happened almost around the same age that I was raped by this same man. We had the option of raising alarm then. But she didn’t want anything that could affect the child emotionally or psychologically,” Ama explained, describing why the family did not immediately report the alleged sexual assault of Precious to authorities.

“Hence, we opted to quietly take the child away per the child’s request and her safety. The child was about to take her WAEC exam (West African Senior School Certificate Examination – WASSCE), and the situation was very similar to my experience. These were what formed our decision to take the child away from his house immediately so she could continue her school,” she told SaharaReporters, explaining the family’s decision to prioritize Precious’s education and psychological wellbeing over immediate criminal complaints.

Ama, breaking more than 20 years of silence, stated she is speaking publicly to expose the man behind the pulpit whose religious authority allegedly enabled decades of sexual predation. “The fear I had in me was overwhelming because I was young… I was confused and disoriented,” she said, contrasting her teenage fear with her current resolve to seek accountability and prevent future victimization.

Pastor Okafor, a popular figure on Christian television known for theatrical “miracle” services broadcast across Nigeria, could not be reached personally by SaharaReporters for comment on the specific allegations. However, his legal counsel, Ife Ajayi Esq., provided a response that did not directly address the rape and sexual assault claims made by Ama and her daughter.

Instead, Ajayi revealed that Okafor had preemptively taken legal action against Ama. “Just so you know, we have sometime last year lodged a formal complaint against her at the Police HQ and at the Zonal command and investigation has commenced,” Ajayi told SaharaReporters. “I believe she will be summoned anytime soon and she can come over to present her evidence as required by law to the police.”

Ajayi then dismissed SaharaReporters’ investigation as malicious scheming. “As I said above, this so-called article serves no honest journalistic purpose but simply a ploy to distract, cover up, tarnish and blackmail our client into compliance,” the attorney stated, characterizing detailed testimony about alleged child rape as journalism serving no honest purpose.

The allegations against Okafor have emerged amid multiple scandals involving the cleric. In December 2025, Nollywood actress Doris Ogala released a post appearing to show Okafor in a private bedroom setting, which she later deleted. The image depicted a topless man wrapped in a towel, with Ogala alleging the photo showed Okafor’s bedroom immediately after sexual activity and warning she would release full video footage.

Through her lawyers at Synergy Law Partners, Ogala issued a demand letter dated December 16, 2025, seeking N1 billion in aggravated damages from Okafor over what her legal team described as a broken marital commitment. The letter, addressed to the cleric at his Ojodu Berger residence, warned of imminent legal action should he fail to comply within 21 days.

Ogala’s lawyers alleged that Okafor made “clear, consistent and unequivocal” promises to marry the actress, establishing a foundation for a personal relationship that began in 2017 when she was emotionally vulnerable and seeking pastoral guidance. They alleged the relationship involved family introductions and joint appearances at family events that created legitimate expectations of marriage.

Her legal counsel cited evidence including photographs, videos, messages, and banking records supporting claims of legitimate marriage expectations. They further alleged Ogala relied on these promises to her detriment by ending a troubled marriage, abandoning reconciliation efforts, transferring ₦45 million to the cleric in a single transaction, and granting him access to her finances.

The Lagos State Police Command confirmed that Commissioner of Police CP Olohundare Jimoh ordered investigation of Pastor Chris Okafor over allegations of multiple rape and serious sexual offences. The State Criminal Investigation Department was directed to conduct a thorough investigation, with the cleric formally served through his lawyer.

Police also directed full security coverage for alleged victims, assured confidentiality and protection for victims and witnesses, appealed for credible information aiding the investigation, and pledged professional, transparent, and unbiased processes in accordance with law.

In another incident, social media critic VeryDarkMan released an audio clip featuring a woman named Chidera Okafor who claimed to be the pastor’s daughter. She alleged that Okafor made amorous advances toward her within the family home and described troubling and unfair treatment during her time in his household, allegedly forcing her to flee the home in 2020 and report the matter to her mother.

Through his lawyer, Okafor denied being Chidera’s biological father, attributing her mother’s paternity claims to infidelity. He demanded public apology and threatened legal action against both Chidera and VeryDarkMan for defamation and cyberbullying.

However, the pastor’s ex-wife, Ms. Bessem, subsequently came forward with her own detailed allegations including domestic violence, serial infidelity, and child molestation claims, demanding DNA tests to prove paternity—a demand that would either vindicate Okafor’s denials or confirm biological relationships he disputes.

The mounting allegations against Okafor illustrate patterns common in clergy sexual abuse cases where religious authority creates power imbalances that facilitate exploitation while spiritual manipulation and threats enforce victims’ silence for years or decades. The allegations span generations, involving not just the initial alleged rape of a minor but subsequent alleged sexual violence against the child born from that assault—a pattern that, if substantiated, would represent among the most egregious examples of clergy sexual predation documented in Nigeria.

Nigerian law criminalizes rape with penalties including life imprisonment, though prosecution proves difficult particularly when victims are minors without resources to pursue justice against powerful religious figures. The alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old constitutes defilement under Nigerian law regardless of consent, as minors cannot legally consent to sexual activity with adults in positions of authority.

The case highlights systemic failures in protecting children within Nigerian religious institutions, where charismatic pastors wield enormous influence with minimal accountability structures. The decentralized nature of Nigerian evangelicalism means individual pastors face few institutional constraints beyond their own church boards, which often consist of loyalists unlikely to challenge leaders who elevated them.

For victims like Ama and potentially her daughter Precious, coming forward requires overcoming not just fear of powerful perpetrators but social stigma that often blames victims for sexual violence while viewing accusations against religious leaders as attacks on faith itself. The cultural dynamics create environments where clergy sexual abuse can persist for decades before victims feel empowered to seek justice.

The Lagos police investigation will determine whether sufficient evidence exists to prosecute Okafor on criminal charges. However, regardless of legal outcomes, the detailed testimony Ama has provided contributes to broader conversations about clergy accountability, protection of children in religious contexts, and whether Nigeria’s justice system adequately addresses sexual violence by powerful individuals who exploit spiritual authority to facilitate predation.