Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf of an FCT High Court Maitama has
sentenced a clergyman, Pastor Basil Princewill, founder Mountain Mover Ministry
International Nyanya, to seven years in prison for rape.
The clergyman was arraigned in court by the police on
allegation that he forcefully had sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl,
between July 27 and Dec. 31, 2011 inside his church and his house at Nyanya,
Abuja, without her consent and impregnated her. He was said to have given her drugs
with a view to aborting a pregnancy. Princewill was charged with four counts
bordering on rape, impersonation and attempt to cause abortion and abetting
miscarriage.
Delivering judgment in the case yesterday Tuesday June 25th,
Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf berated the clergyman for allowing the devil use him
to commit such a ''shameful and satanic'' crime.
” l must consider the faith of a young girl and the
society. It is even worrisome when the
person involved is a man of God who we should look up to as next to God, those
who serve in the Lord’s vineyard are expected to be an example to the society.
We have a duty to send signal that this attitude should not be tolerated, it is
regrettable that the person who called himself man of God will be involved in
such shameful disgraceful and satanic act.
He would face the prison walls like a monastery so that when he comes
out, he would have been born again,” the judge said.
The judge said since he was a first time offender, he ''is
sentenced to seven years for the offence of rape and five years for the offence
of abettment which will run concurrently.” The clergyman was convicted on count
one, which is rape and count three which is abettment to cause abortion.
“I believe the evidence of the PW2 (victim ) to be true and
the PW1 (her mother ) told the story in the same way the victim told the court
too. The evidence of the accused was inconsistent, and confusing also and the
direct evidence given by the victim to her mother narrated the ordeal the
victim went through in the hands of the accused,” the judge held
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