A US-based Nigerian Bishop by the name Blessing Samuel has responded to an allegation of rape by one Evi Okaili claiming that the lady was paid to make the allegation.
Bishop Samuel is the Presiding Bishop of Royal Place Ministries International with headquarters in the US.
Okaili from Church Times findings had granted a Youtube video interview to one Apostle Belema Abili where she alleged that she was raped in a hotel room when Bishop Samuel came to Nigeria. She said Bishop Samuel had promised to be her husband when they met so he could help her fight the family battle she was facing. Not long after their meeting, she alleged that Bishop Samuel raped her
Okaili who said she travelled to Lagos from Portharcourt to meet Bishop Samuel said she was not aware she was coming to meet him in the hotel. She had thought she would meet him in the church.
Bishop Samuel in his response however said in a YouTube video that the first time he spoke with Okaili was in 2018 when she requested to be prayed for.
He added that the two of them maintained constant communication from that time up till April 2020.
While giving details of all their conversation in 2018 which was quite extensive; Bishop Samuel said Okaili only screenshot a few of the conversation which she shared with the public while making the allegation of rape.
He said the first time he met her was in November 2018 but that he could not set eyes on her for the first three days because he was very busy.
Bishop Samuel said he paid for her accommodation in the hotel and kept discussing with her via Facebook messenger. The address of the hotel from the Facebook chat is given as Plot 75C Industrial Estate Festac which he said is a few metres away from his Lagos Church.
Bishop Samuel said in the course of several chats with the lady, he sent a sum of N500,000 to her UBA account number 2079286770 to help her establish a business. The lady confirmed the receipt of the money from the Facebook conversation displayed in the video.
He further exposed all the conversation between him and the lady revealing how he gave her another N500,000 which was about $2000 at that time.
The Bishop said he stopped responding to the lady when her request for assistance became persistent. “I stopped responding to her because I felt I had given her enough money. I stopped when she asked me to help support the burial of her father. I became fed up and I did not respond to her. She kept writing to me and asking for favour but I did not reply to her. We still chatted till April 15 2020. That is a lady that said I raped her in 2018.”
Bishop Samuel in concluding his defence which spanned about one hour in the video said he was surprised that the lady could come on air and make allegations that he raped her.
“I don’t know what I did to this girl. After blessing her several times, she still came on air to say I raped her. The way I relayed the conversation between me and this lady is the same way I will relay the conversation between myself and Apostle Belema who interviewed her on the rape issue.”
Apparently, Belema who interviewed the lady was said to be the daughter in faith to Bishop Samuel. But she is no longer in any close relationship with the Bishop.
Bishop Samuel said he would sue Okaili saying that he had instructed his lawyer to begin the process. “I am going to make her pay for what she has said against me. If she repents, I will forgive but if not, she will pay for it. The girl lied all the way. She told me she was 30 years in 2018 but in her rape confession, she said she was 26 in 2018. If I did not release this video and the chats we had, people will believe her. Just because she wanted to destroy me, she went all the way to say all kinds of things against me.”
From the conversation shared by Bishop Blessing, there seems to be a mutual understanding between the two of them. Bishop Blessing wondered why a lady who benefited so much from him and confirmed it by several messages would come up with the allegation of rape.
