The Cross River State Police Command has arrested a pastor, Roman Samson, and a woman, Agnes Peter, following the death of her 13-year-old daughter, Nancy Peter, who allegedly died after being flogged over a missing ₦30,000.
The tragic incident occurred in Obanleku Community, Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State. According to reports, the girl’s mother accused her of stealing the money and took her to the residence of the pastor, founder and General Overseer of Goodness of Jesus Ministry, for what she described as counselling and discipline.
Police sources disclosed that the incident happened on June 1, 2026, after Agnes claimed the money she had kept at home had disappeared. She reportedly accused Nancy, a secondary school student, of taking the cash and left her in the pastor’s care.
Investigators alleged that the pastor flogged the teenager with a horsewhip, leaving her critically injured. She was rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
A police source at the Homicide Section said the mother had taken the girl to the pastor for discipline after accusing her of stealing the money. The source added that by the time the mother returned, the pastor had allegedly beaten the teenager severely, resulting in her death.
Speaking to detectives, Agnes maintained that she never intended for her daughter to be harmed. She explained that after Nancy admitted taking the money and revealed where it was hidden, she left the pastor’s house briefly to retrieve the cash.
According to her, she recovered the ₦30,000 from one of Nancy’s trousers and was returning when she met the pastor rushing the girl to the hospital.
“I didn’t tell him to kill my daughter,” she reportedly said, insisting she only wanted the pastor to counsel and reprimand the teenager, as he had done on previous occasions.
The pastor, however, gave a different account, claiming the mother specifically asked him to beat the girl. He said he had known the family for about four years and had supported them financially after Agnes separated from her husband.
Samson alleged that Nancy had repeatedly stolen from her mother in the past and that he had intervened several times by counselling her.
He admitted using a horsewhip on the teenager but insisted he had no intention of causing her death.
According to him, he administered between 13 and 15 strokes before noticing that Nancy had become weak. He said he immediately rushed her to the hospital, where she later died.
The cleric expressed regret over the incident, describing the deceased as someone he considered like a daughter.
The teenager’s death has sparked outrage in the community, with residents calling for justice and demanding that those responsible be held accountable.
Confirming the development, the spokesperson for the Cross River State Police Command, ASP Eitokpah Sunday, said both the pastor and the mother had been arrested while investigations into the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death were ongoing.
The police assured residents that the command, under Commissioner of Police Rashid Afegbua, remains committed to protecting lives and ensuring justice is served. The command also urged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to support efforts to combat crime across the state.
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