Police arrest two pastors over alleged extra-marital affair

The police in Adamawa State said they have arrested two officials of the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), Ebenezer Otinjele and Juliana Daniel, for alleged extra-marital affairs.

The two are clerics heading two new generation churches.

Mr Otinjele is a pastor with the Liberty International Gospel Centre, Yola in Adamawa, while Mrs Daniel is also a female pastor at the Encouragement Fellowship International.

The two suspects are currently being held in police custody at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Yola.

Mrs Daniel is the wife of Eli Daniel, who is an official of the Federal Ministry of Power, Abuja.

Allegations

It was alleged that Mrs Daniel worked directly under Mr Otinjele when he was the business manager of the Electricity Distribution Company Yola, where they started a sexual relationship.

Mr Daniel told our reporter that they got married on April 6, 2002 at the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) headquarters in Numan and had five children “including the two she had with Ebenezer whom she made him to believe they are his children”.

“After our marriage, I secured a job for her in early 2016 where she was posted to Yola Business unit and later deployed to work in the office of the then business manager, Pastor Ebenezer. This is where they started their extra marital relationship.

“After her deployment to the office of Ebenezer, they stated having sexual intercourse to the extent of committing such act in our matrimonial home at Mbamba.

“They go to the house when the children have gone to school, and that they sometimes send the children to buy something outside if they were at home so as to have space of time,” said the husband in a telephone interview.

He also claimed Mr Otinjele “took his wife to Jalingo for weekend on 15th September, 2016 where she left her male child she had with a 12-year-old house maid and that the child later fell sick and died suddenly in her absence.”

Mrs Daniel allegedly had two children for Mr Otinjele despite being married to Mr Daniel.

Mr Otinjele and Mrs Daniel are in police custody so PREMIUM TIMES is unable to get their reactions. It is also not clear how the police, which is legally empowered to handle criminal matters, is handling the civil issue.

‘Invited not arrested’

Mr Otinjele and Mrs Daniel have been arrested following a petition to the Commissioner of Police, Adamawa State Police Command by the irate husband, through his counsel, Sule Abul.

The petition alleged, “acts of abatement conspiracy, causing abortion, criminal trespass, adultery and threat to life contrary to sections 49,61,203,339, 374 and 383 (2) of Adamawa state Penal Code Law perpetrated by Ebenezer Otueke and Juliana Eli Daniel.”

Police spokesman in the state, Suleiman Nguroje, confirmed the arrests.

“It’s true that Adamawa police command had received complain written by one Barr. Sule J. Abul to the commissioner of police on behalf of his client alleging extra-marital affairs had ensued between one Mr Ebenezer a staff of YEDC and a married woman Juliana also a staff of YEDC.

“Immediately such complaint was received, the commissioner of police immediately directed that investigation be conducted and in the course of the investigation the two suspects were invited and as I’m talking to you investigation still on going and as soon as its finished, the command will not hesitate to ensure that law take its course through prosecution,” he said.