A certain man nick-named Prophet Emmanuel had been arrested by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) and handed over to the police at Surulere Police Station for allegedly beating his wife to coma, leaving her with a broken leg.
According to reports, Emmanuel had a misunderstanding with his wife.
At the time of his arrest, the DSVRT officials disclosed that the prophet had reportedly chained his son within the church premises at Berger area of the Lagos metropolis, adding that he claimed to possess healing powers and also had 32 other church members who came for spiritual/mental healing and were also in chains.
Speaking on the incident, the DSVRT Coordinator, Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, described the incident as ridiculous and unlawful.
Vivour-Adeniyi said the state government would not condone domestic violence and urged the victims of sexual and gender-based violence to speak out.
“The government is ready to fight all such cases and ensure that justice is done,” she said.
“The prophet who lives at Close Unity Estate, Imodium, Berger, Lagos, beat his wife, Funke, and broke her leg. He also beat his two sons and chained one of the sons while one of them ran away from the house. He claims to be a prophet with healing powers,” the Coordinator added.
“All incidents took place in his church. There were 32 people in chains whom he claimed were being treated for mental illness”, he added.
Vivour-Adeniyi said information was received through the Lagos State distress call service and noted that the team would ensure justice in the matter.
However, there was a dramatic twist to the case yesterday when the senior police officer handling the case at Surulere Police Station said the man had been released based on the denial of the wife and his sons, who did not want their father to be jailed for domestic violence.
The officer, who didn’t want his name mentioned, said: “The woman came to us and denied being attacked. Of course there were evidences of scars, broken leg, which showed that she was truly attacked, but they all denied that. We ran into difficulties when the woman denied that she was beaten by her husband.
“She said she had an accident and even her children too denied being beaten. We saw some scars on some of them which showed that they were also flogged. But they all told us different stories and you know when the principal witnesses are denying that, we won’t have evidence in court to substantiate our case.
“There were about 32 other persons in chain, who he claimed are mentally ill. When people voluntarily go to a place and on the grounds that they are spiritually or mentally ill, what can we do?”
The state government inaugurated DSVRT in September 2014 as a response to the increase in incidents of rape, defilement, domestic violence, child abuse, neglect and maltreatment.
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