A High Court in Calabar has convicted and sentenced a self-proclaimed cleric and church founder, Apostle Favour Mexy Okoise, to life imprisonment on multiple counts of rape and obtaining by false pretences—a case that has shocked the religious community in Cross River State.
The convicted church founder, an indigene of Esan West in Edo State, who initially operated a fellowship before converting it into a full-fledged church—The Refiner’s Fire Church—was found guilty in two separate cases, HC-12C/2024 and HC-FC-5C/2024, on June 16 and 17, respectively.
The first case involved three counts of rape of three different women and one count of obtaining by false pretences, while the second focused on the rape of a 16-year-old minor.
Court proceedings commenced in 2023, initiated by the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) under the leadership of Okoi E. Ukam, Esq., and prosecuted by Cletus Adama, Esq., both from the Cross River State Ministry of Justice.
Legal practitioner Doris Nduanusi, Esq., who watched brief on behalf of the victims, revealed that Okoise manipulated young female members of the church by coercing them into sexual acts under the guise of spiritual initiation.
“He told them it was a rite of passage to be used by God and referred to it as a ‘special dealing’ with the Holy Spirit,” she disclosed.
Although the Ministry of Justice led the prosecution, significant support came from the Gender and Development Action (GADA), a civil society group led by Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo.
“It was a collaborative effort that ensured the voices of the victims were heard,” Nduanusi stated.
Despite his incarceration since February 2024, church members were reportedly told that their founder was “on the mountain interceding for their destinies.”
“It was only after the judgement that some began to realise they had been deceived for over a year,” Nduanusi added.
The presiding judge noted that the convicted cleric remained unrepentant throughout the trial.
“He showed no remorse for his actions,” the court stated in its ruling.
Concerns have now turned to the continued operations of the church, which reportedly relocated to the Nassarawa axis of Calabar despite the founder’s conviction.
“The government must take urgent steps to dismantle the entire structure that enabled such abuse,” Nduanusi urged, citing risks of ongoing psychological and physical harm to congregants.
She also raised concerns about alleged affiliations between prominent local pastors and the convicted church leader, despite prior knowledge of the allegations.
