Church worker petitions Christ Embassy pastor over sexual misconduct

Pastor Kenechukwu Kanu of Christ Embassy, has been petitioned by one Brenda Nwanguma of Inner City Mission for Children,.a non-profitable organisation under the church’s management.

Nwanguma, a member of the church itself, is pressing charges against the pastor, who she accused of work place harassment, intimidation, blackmail and libel.

Nwanguma, who petitioned the church through her lawyer, Samuel Akpologun, demands an address to the issue before taking the church and the pastor to court.

At the early start of this year, 2017, Nwanguma had accused the pastor of sexual misconduct, which led to her victimization.

Pastor Kanu popularly known as Kaycee, however, countered the allegations by calling her a “loose woman who has slept with at least two to three men in the ministry.”

“Her husband doesn’t know her.

“He should go and put his house in order.

“I’m a man of the cloth.

“There’re certain things I shouldn’t say.” He added.

Nwanguma, who’s a mother of three, further claimed Kanu has a penchant for sexually harassing women. According to her, Kanu has succeeded in sleeping with some women in the ministry.

Nwanguma maintained that it was because she rebuffed Kaycee’s sexual advances that led to her victimization.

“It is our brief that on April 3, 2017, our client, Brenda Nwanguma, who is a staff in your organisazation, made a complaint to the Head of Administration of the said mission, Pastor Ifeoma Chiemeka, through electronic mail on the following; sexual harassment.

“She said that Pastor Kaycee, who is the head of operation of this said mission, under which our client has worked as a staff, had been sexually harassing our client by making demands to have canal knowledge of her in return for facilitating her transfer from a department with an oppressive boss, to another department.”

The lawyer further stated that because his client turned down Kaycee’s sexual advances, the cleric resorted to victimizing her by posting and transferring her twice, within the space of a month.

Akpologun noted: “The first vindictive transfer was made on January 3, 2017, whereby she was transferred to the Media Sub Department to act as a Librarian.

“The second transfer was made via a mail dated January 25, 2017.

“She was moved to the school Pastoral Care Unit to act as pastoral care coordinator, thus effectively brining her under the same boss, about whom our client had earlier complained.”

Speaking on discrimination, intimidation and blackmail of his client, the lawyer noted that when his client was forced to report the situation to the Director of the Mission, Omoh Alabi, the Director, allegedly refused, neglected or omitted to respond to Nwanguma’s complaint.

Alabi also allegedly did not take any step to address or investigate the grave allegations contained in the email sent by Nwanguma to her on January 26, 2017.

Akpologun claimed that Omoh blackmailed and intimidated his client until she had to apologise to Kaycee and sent a copy of the letter of apology to Omoh, before she was given any audience.

Thereafter, Omoh asked Nwanguma not to resume at work until “high authorities” had looked into her case and determined where exactly she would be working.

“It has been more than nine months now since Nwanguma was promised that her case would be looked into. Yet nothing had been done in that regard,” stated Akpologun.

The lawyer further stated that it was also his brief that since Omoh asked his client to stay away from work, his client had not been given any further instruction or information.

He also argued that his client’s salary, since she was asked to stay away, had been unduly withheld for no just cause for nine months now.

He added: “When on April 28, 2017, the situation was reported to The New Telegraph; the management of the Mission convened a panel, invited our client and promised to look into her case after receiving evidence from her.

“She was further instructed to stay away from work till the outcome of the panel. Since then, till date, the said management has neither got in touch with our client nor paid her salaries due.

“It is our further brief that Pastor Kaycee caused a libelous publication to be made in the said New Telegraph Newspaper against our client. In the said publication of April 28, 2017, Pastor Kaycee falsely and maliciously alleged that our client is an adulterous woman, who had slept with more than two staff of the Mission.”