The General Overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly, Lagos, Emeka Ezeuko, aka, Rev. King, on Thursday told an Ikeja High Court presided over by Justice Joseph Oyewole that he regularly flogged the members of his church to instill discipline in them.

He made this disclosure during cross-examination by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs. Bola Okikiolu-Ighile.

Ezeuko is facing a six-count charge over the alleged murder of a member of his church, Miss Ann Uzor, and an attempted murder of five other members.

Ezeuko who claimed to have seen God ”face to face” said he employed only rod (which he nicknamed ”Abel”) and cane to discipline errant adult members.

He, however debunked the claim of the prosecution witnesses that he employed more lethal instruments like ”pinchers, hammers and UTC knife.”

He said, ”I am a shepherd, I have sheep, every shepherd must have his rod. My own rod is cane. Simple, it is just to correct them.

”I flogged the members of the church, there is no secret about this. As a mater of fact when any person came to the church, I would raise ”Abel” (i.e a big rod) in one hand and a cane in the other hand and told them that I flog oh.

”I told them if you don‘t want to be caned, don‘t join the church. Don‘t bother to get baptised at all. It is normal and not a secret.”

King, however, added that the cane was not any special one, but an ordinary cane sold in the market.

In addition to caning, King said he imposed various fines on errant members, for example any body who coughed while service was going on would be asked to pay N50.

But a person whose GSM phone rang during service would be asked to pay a N25,000 or he or she would be asked to leave the church. He, however, added that people chose to leave the church than to pay the N25,000, ”nobody has paid” he said.

When asked by whether he was married, the accused answer was ”I can not remember if I am married or not, I am doing my things according to the will of God.”

When Ighile said "I put it to you that you were keeping all those women in your church quarters there to satisfy your sexual urge”, King became angry and said "That is an insult to Almighty God.”

The court adjourned the matter till December 4 for further hearing.

Punch