“Discipline Gone Awry”: Pastor, Mother arrested after 13-year-old girl dies from flogging over ₦30,000

A 13-year-old girl has died after she was allegedly flogged with a horsewhip by a pastor in Cross River State over accusations of stealing ₦30,000 from her mother.

The tragic incident occurred on June 1, 2026, and was reported by _The Sun_. Both the pastor and the girl’s mother have been arrested, according to Cross River Police.

–“She became very weak in my hands”–
Pastor Roman Samson Okoye, 45, General Overseer of Goodness of Jesus Ministry, said the girl’s mother brought her to him after accusing her of repeated theft and staying away from home.

“She said the girl stole N30,000 and asked me to beat her. She also said she had already beaten her but wanted me to discipline her as well,” Okoye stated.

“I took my horsewhip and started beating her. I gave her about 15 strokes before I noticed she had become very weak. I immediately rushed her to the hospital, but she died before we arrived.

“I feel very sad. I never intended to kill her. It was her mother who insisted that she should be beaten. She was like a daughter to me. I deeply regret what happened.”

—Mother denies ordering the beating—

The girl’s mother, Agnes Peter, from Obanliku, Boki LGA, denied instructing the pastor to flog her daughter. She said she only took the teenager for “counselling and prayers.”

“It is true that I took my daughter to the pastor after I discovered that my N30,000 was missing… On that day, when she refused to disclose where she kept the money, she later confessed while we were at the pastor’s house and told me she had hidden it in one of her trousers.

“I immediately left to verify her claim and found the N30,000… The pastor had not started beating her when I left.

“I did not tell him to kill my daughter. I only wanted him to scold, counsel and pray for her. I was not there when he allegedly beat her. I only saw him taking her to the hospital.”

—Police confirm arrests—

ASP Ewa Eitokpah Sunday, spokesperson for the Cross River State Police Command, confirmed the arrests and said investigations are ongoing.

“The command remains committed to protecting lives and property across the state,” he said, assuring that “justice will be served.”