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The Head Pastor of the African Faith Tabernacle Church, Rev Paul Nkansah, has been arresred for allegedly raping five sisters at Akyem Achiase in the Eastern Region .

Rev Nkansah, who was alleged to have confessed having affairs with the five sisters, said he committed the crime on the orders of some celestial powers.

The sexual escapade of the pastor came to light when a sister of the victims, Afia Baby, fell ill and was sent to the pastor at Akyem Achiase for spiritual healing but died in the process.

Not satisfied with circumstances leading to the death of Baby, her relatives consulted an oracle, which revealed that Pastor Nkansah could not cure the girl because he had committed an abomination by allegedly raping five sisters and invoking curses on a sixth person, Madam Elizabeth Abadanakia, who is a relative of the deceased.

On the basis of the revelation by the oracle, the mother of the victims confronted her daughters, who confessed that the pastor had raped them.

The mother, apparently terrified by the incident, reported the case to the Krontihene and regent of Akyem Kotoku Traditional Area, Oberempong Saforo Gyamfi Kyereh, who convened a meeting of chiefs to listen to the complaint on Tuesday, August 16, 2011.

At that meeting, which was attended by Pastor Nkansah and some of his church members, one of the victims (name withheld) narrated the circumstances under which Pastor Nkansah raped her.

According to her, she visited her sister who was receiving treatment at Pastor Nkansah's prayer camp at Achiase.

She said during the visit, Pastor Nkansah claimed that the spirit had revealed to him that she was being tormented by evil spirits and, therefore, needed deliverance.

Pastor Nkansah was said to have told the woman to bring a piece of cloth and also demanded GH¢1,200 and advised her to add the cloth to the money, put them under her pillow and sleep on them for one week before submitting them to him.

The woman alleged that when she sent the items to the pastor, he told her to wait until midnight when the ritual could be performed to neutralise the evil forces tormenting her.

She said at midnight, the pastor poured water and oil into a bucket and sent her to a bush on a hill and instructed her to strip naked and bath.

She said on their return to the prayer camp, Pastor Nkansah invited her to his bedroom where he smeared her body with anointing oil before telling her that he had been instructed by the ‘Holy Spirit’ to have sex with her, which was necessary for her deliverance, a request which she resisted.

The victim said Pastor Nkansah dipped his hands into a glass and took some powder and sprinkled it on her face and body.

She said she became unconscious and when she regained consciousness, she realised that she had been raped by Pastor Nkansah, who warned her not to reveal her ordeal to anybody, otherwise she would die prematurely.

The other four victims, including a15-year-old junior high school (JHS) student, also revealed how they were allegedly raped by the pastor, using the same tricks.

After admitting his guilt of committing incest and casting a spell on the family of the victims, Pastor Nkansah was fined a ram and two bottles of schnapps by Oberempong Saforo Gyamfi Kyereh.

The ram was slaughtered and libation poured in the presence of the pastor to reverse the curse and to pacify the gods.

The Krontihene then handed the pastor over to plain-clothes policemen whom he had invited to deal with the criminal aspect of the case.

The police then whisked Pastor Nkansah away to the Oda District Police Headquarters, where he was placed in custody to assist in investigations.