An Ikeja Sexual Offenses and Domestic Violence Court heard testimony on Monday from a teen (whose name has been withheld) about how one Pastor Pope Paul allegedly degraded her and engaged in repeated sexual activity with her.

The 19-year-old survivor was allegedly known to Paul, a youth pastor at Deeper Life Bible Church, when she was 15 and she was living with the cleric, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The state's attorney, Ms. Inumidun Solarin, led the survivor to the witness stand.

The survivor claims that she was acquainted with the defendant through his wife Lydia, with whom she had vacationed prior to getting married.

She said, "Immediately after my sister Lydia got married, I came to Lagos for a holiday again in 2016.

“After the holiday was over, I was to go back home (to Ibadan), but she told me I should start living with her and that she had spoken with my mother.

“I was enrolled in a private school as I resumed in SS1." I only go back to my parents during the holidays.

“On February 17, 2018, I noticed this lustful look on Mr. Pope Paul, and he came to me; he started with a rough play and then bumped on me.

“He started touching me because there was nobody around."

“He moved on to touch my breasts and used his hand to cover my mouth while he inserted his fingers into my vagina.”

The teenager said that the cleric played a Christian message and increased the volume so that no one could hear her voice.

“As he fingered my private part, blood was flowing out.”

The survivor further told the court that the defendant told her that she would die if she told anyone.

“One day, my mom called me while he was having sex with me. He picked up the call and told her I was not at home.

“I once summoned the courage to indirectly tell his wife that I did not like the way her husband touched me, and the wife said she would talk to him.

“My mother later told me to come to Ibadan and stay with her because she wanted to undergo an operation."

“Mr. Pope Paul told me to pack all my belongings because I would not be coming back again,” she said.

The witness further said that the defendant came to her room at night, dragged her to the kitchen, and had sexual intercourse with her.

She testified that her mother got suspicious of her when she got home and subjected her to a pregnancy test, which turned out positive.

“My mom called the pastor, and he said that he was sorry and had asked God for forgiveness and knew that God had forgiven him."

“My mum told him to inform his wife about the pregnancy, but he refused and later denied that he impregnated me, which prompted my mother to report the case to the police, and he was arrested,” the survivor said.

The witness repeated, under cross-examination from Mr. Gabriel Nbagho, the defense attorney, that the defendant stuck his finger into her private area.

She claimed that she kept it a secret because the defendant made her feel afraid to tell anyone.

She claimed that prior to moving in with the defendant's family, she had never had sex with any man.

She added that she had never been friends with any men.

The case was postponed until May 23 so that the trial could continue. Justice Ramon Oshodi