An Oklahoma pastor has been arrested and is facing counts of sexual battery and kidnapping stemming from allegations of women that he hired.
Enoch Ankiwale, who is also a manager at a construction company, is accused of committing the alleged acts at a construction site.
An arrest warrant obtained by KOCO states that Ankiwale targeted women at an apartment building. According to court documents filed in Oklahoma County, the 61-year-old, a pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God Oasis of Love Parish in Midwest City, was identified by several victims who all worked for him.
The documents state he hired the women to clean apartments being built on North High Avenue in Oklahoma City, the site of the old Douglas High School building. He reportedly would ask the women how old they were and if they spoke English. In the documents, an officer notes that none of the victims interviewed spoke English.
Ankiwale Allegedly Groped, Forced Himself on Women He Hired as Cleaners for His Company
The arrest warrant details several incidents where the suspect approached the women while they were cleaning apartments, groped them and forced himself upon them.
According to NewsNationNow, a victim said she remembered one moment when Akinwale sexually touched her while she was working. He allegedly told her she was beautiful and grabbed her from behind. She quit after this.
Another victim told police that when she was walking up the stairs, he came up from behind, groped her, and called her beautiful. She said he followed her into an apartment and allegedly trapped her in the bathroom.
While she was cleaning, she told police that she said no several times and she couldn’t leave. He allegedly proceeded to grope her several times and pushed her against the sink. At one point she said she tried to elbow him in the head to get him off of her, but he grabbed her arm and blocked her.
That specific victim said that she couldn’t understand what he was saying but knew he repeatedly kept licking his lips and saying the word, “Durex,” a condom label. She told police she believed he was attempting to pay her for sex by the words she did not understand and his actions.
Ankiwale Would Separate the Women into Different Parts of the Building, Ensured Neither of Them were Working in the Same Area or Apartment
The documents also say the suspect “would separate them into different parts of the building and never have two of them working in the same area or apartment at the same time.”
Several victims allegedly showed police text messages where Akinwale tried apologizing to the women. One of the victims said he kept texting, “Sorry, sorry.”
The day before his arrest, according to the stream on the church’s Facebook page he preached a sermon centered around forgiveness going into the new year saying in part, “Don’t focus on your past,” and “God says let bygones be bygones.”
Ankiwale was released within 24 hours of being arrested, supposedly posting his $75,000 bond.
