Operatives of the Ekeki Division of the Bayelsa State Police Command have arrested a pastor and his wife in connection with the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl in Yenagoa, the state capital.

The wife was arrested for allegedly paying N120,000 for an illegal abortion procured for the victim, who is said to be her cousin.

The arrest, carried out during a Sunday service, left the congregation in confusion. The pastor initially fled through the back door but later surrendered to the police after his wife was apprehended on the church premises.

Eyewitnesses told journalists that the pastor allegedly abused the minor on multiple occasions — both on the church premises and at his home — before she became pregnant.

Members of the Women Against Gender-based Violence and Do Foundation, who confirmed the development to reporters, said an initial interview with the victim indicated that the abuse occurred five times from November 2025.

According to the advocacy group, the pastor allegedly took advantage of the girl on occasions when she came to the church to deliver a local bread known as Madiga to his wife.