Living Christ Mission founder Daddy Hezekiah accused of sexual abuse

The founder and General Overseer of Living Christ Mission, Obiajunwa Onukogu, popularly known as Daddy Hezekiah, has been accused of sexually abusing two women during their childhood years when they attended church programmes more than two decades ago.

The allegations were contained in separate written testimonies recently provided by Kelechi Ibe, 39, and Onyekachi J. Eze, 40, who said they had remained silent about their experiences for years.

According to the women, the alleged incidents occurred in the 1990s when they were members of the “Princess of Daddy Hezekiah,” a church group for young girls that participated in programmes in Port Harcourt, Onitsha and the church’s headquarters in Nkwerre, Imo State.

They alleged that during church conventions, parents would often leave after the opening days of the programmes, leaving their children under the supervision of church officials until the events concluded.

The women claimed they were repeatedly called to the cleric’s private quarters on the pretext of checking whether they were still virgins. They alleged that, while still minors, they were subjected to inappropriate sexual touching during the encounters.

They further claimed they were instructed to keep the incidents secret and not tell their parents or other members of the group, which they said contributed to their decision to remain silent for many years.

Ibe, while recounting her experience, alleged that the abuse started when she was around 12 or 13 years old and happened on multiple occasions during church conventions. She said she eventually opened up about what happened after comparing experiences with her sister, who had also been a member of the group.

Eze, meanwhile, alleged that her experience began during a church visit to Onitsha before continuing after she became a member of the group in Port Harcourt.

The two women said they later realised that their accounts shared similarities and suggested that other former members of the group might have experienced similar incidents.

They named Nkechi Nwofor, Angela Michael, Sopuruchukwu, Nkiru Arum, Vivian Nmezi and Ihegboro Chibuzo among those they said had also come forward with allegations.

The women said the alleged experiences had affected them emotionally over the years, adding that they hoped speaking publicly would encourage other survivors to share their own experiences.

As of the time of filing this report, neither Onukogu nor Living Christ Mission had publicly responded to the allegations.