'May God kill me if a girl has worked for me' - Nigerian Pastor facing sex trafficking charges tells court

Omoregie, who was arraigned before a Lyon court on Wednesday, 6 November, in fluent French, denied sex trafficking charges against him.

He stated that he only wanted to help members of his community.

The pastor has been accused of running a prostitution racket and trafficking young girls from Nigeria to Europe. He denies these allegations.

According to teller.com, he admitted to renting apartments to the Nigerian girls, stating that he did not know they were prostitutes.

The court president asked: “What do you think these women were doing to pay you rents of several hundred euros a month, without working, since they had no residence permit?”

Responding to the question, the pastor said he never cared where the money for payment for the service he provided came from.

Pastor Omorogie, however, failed to give a clear answer to sending a text message in which he told someone that he wanted “the best, those who are mature and have beautiful bodies.”

He, however, admitted that he once heard the girls talking about being prostitutes.

He concluded his testimony by telling the court: “May God kill me now if a girl has worked for me.”

Omorogie is among 22 defendants facing trial for sex trafficking. Almost half of them are women. They each face up to ten years in jail if found guilty.