A 45-year-old pastor, Roman Samson, has been arrested by the police in Cross River state for allegedly flogging a 13-year-old girl, Nancy Peter, to death over the alleged theft of N30, 000 belonging to her mother.
The tragic incident occurred in Wula, Boki local government area of the state.
Blueprint Weekend on Friday gathered that the victim’s mother, Agnes Peter, was also arrested by the police after investigations revealed that she had taken her daughter to the pastor’s residence following accusations that the teenager had repeatedly stolen money from her.
According to sources at the Homicide Section of the Cross River state Police Command, the incident happened on June 1, 2026.
“The woman said she kept N30, 000 in her house and could not find it when she needed it. She accused her 13-year-old daughter of stealing the money and took her to her pastor’s house,” a police source disclosed.
The source said Mrs. Peter had left her daughter alone with the pastor, but before she returned, the cleric had allegedly flogged the girl with a horsewhip until she became unconscious.
“The pastor was already rushing the girl to the hospital when the mother returned. Unfortunately, she was confirmed dead on arrival at the hospital,” the source added.
Speaking on the incident on Friday, Pastor Roman Samson, who identified himself as the founder and General Overseer of Goodness of Jesus Ministry, claimed he never intended to kill the teenager.
He said he had known the deceased’s mother for about four years and had been supporting her and her children after she was allegedly abandoned by her husband.
According to him, the deceased had a history of stealing from her mother.
“Anytime the woman complained, I would call the girl and scold her. This happened more than 20 times,” he said.
The pastor also claimed that on the day of the incident, the girl’s mother had brought her to his house and requested that he disciplined her.
“She said the girl had stolen N30, 000 and asked me to beat her. She also said she had already beaten her and wanted me to do the same.
“I went for my horsewhip and started beating her. I only gave her about 13 to 15 strokes when I noticed she became very weak. I quickly rushed her to the hospital, but she died before we got there.”
The cleric expressed regrets over the incident, saying, “I feel very sad. I didn’t want to kill her. She was like a daughter to me.”
However, the victim’s mother denied asking the pastor to beat her daughter.
“I only took my daughter to him for counselling and prayers. I did not ask him to flog her,” Mrs. Peter said.
She explained that after her daughter confessed to stealing the money and revealed where it had been hidden, she left the pastor’s house to verify the claim.
“When I searched, I found my N30, 000 in the pocket of one of her trousers. The pastor had not beaten her when I left. On my way back, I saw him rushing my daughter to the hospital. I never told him to kill my daughter. I only wanted him to counsel and scold her.”
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Cross River state Police Command, ASP Eitokpah Sunday, said both suspects had been arrested and investigations were ongoing.
He reiterated the Command’s commitment to protecting lives and property across the state and urged members of the public to continue providing credible information to assist the police in combating crime.