Police in Anambra State have arrested a middle aged pastor in the state for allegedly having canal knowledge of a 7-year-old girl in Nodu village, Okpuno, Awka South local government area.

DAILY POST learnt that the suspect, who goes by the name; Bro. Solomon, and operates a prayer ministry in the area defiled the little girl who was brought to the ministry by her mother.

Our correspondent gathered that the unnamed prayer ministry and its operator are popular in the area for the performance of miracles of all kinds, leading to the attraction of members from all parts of the capital city, with hundreds of worshipers coming to seek solutions to their spiritual problems.

The suspect was said to have been apprehended following an alarm raised by residents of the area who became suspicious of his sexual activities with innocent members.

A residents of the area who simply identified himself as Edward, said he was shocked at the arrest of the suspect by the police who took him to his prayer house where all kinds of charms and fetish objects were discovered.

“This man is not a pastor at all. Native doctor is even far better than him. See the kind of things discovered in a prayer house,” he said.

Some of other residents of the area who spoke to our correspondent called for proper handling of the matter to avoid a repeat.

They also called on human rights organizations to follow up the matter to ensure the victim got justice.

A resident who preferred anonymity said, “Dis-virgin a girl of that age is an abomination. The poor girl may not have rich parents that may be willing to pursue the case. So the Civil Society organizations and law enforcement agencies should make sure justice is done to the case,” she stressed.

The state Commissioner of Police, Garba Umar confirmed the arrest of the culprit, saying that the victim had been taken to the hospital for proper medical attention.

He promised to carry out full investigation to ensure justice is done, saying, “A little girl who was taken to a pastor for spiritual healing was molested by the same pastor. The man had already been arrested. Anybody who engages in such dastardly act must be dealt with according to the law.”