A sickle -cell advocate, Aisha Edwards Maduagwu, has called for prosecution of Ebonyi cleric, Ndubueze Samuel Onyeagoziri for allegedly assaulting a 22 year old sickle -cell girl, Euphemia Ede.
Ndubueze has been in detention at the crack office of the police headquarters, Abakaliki since last Wednesday over the act.
Maduagwu, who alleged that she was also harassed by the cleric who is the bishop of a new generation church in Ebonyi State, Champions of the truth cathedral, called for immediate prosecution of the man.
In a petition to the state Commissioner of Police, Adaku Uche-Anya, the
Director of Sickle Cell Orphanage and Underprivileged Home, called for justice for Ede.
She implored the Commissioner and the investigative team to prioritize the case by ensuring that the bishop’s detention leads to comprehensive justice for all victims, noting that silence or inaction risks perpetuating the cycle of abuse.
“As a long standing sickle cell advocate dedicated to supporting victims of exploitation and advocating for systemic change on how sickle cell persons are treated, I make this undersigned release in solidarity with 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.
“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 stigmatization.
“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 has 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 erode the foundations of faith, as my convinction in Christendom was shaken.
” Since the harassment, I haven’t again viewed the Pentecostal churches in good light, as I find succor 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 experience of financial exploitations 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 meager 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 to 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 prioritize this case, ensuring the Bishop’s detention leads to comprehensive justice for all victims. Silence or inaction risks perpetuating the cycle of abuse.
“Thank you Sir, as we await your speedy but yet discreet investigation on this pertinent issue of abuse”, she wrote.