OLATUBOSUN SOWEMIMO and AMARACHI ABUAJAH

The witness, Chinenye Joy King also faulted the prosecution evidence, alleging that a former CPA member, Edwin Akubue, offered the prosecution N2 million bribe to distort facts and rope in Rev. King.

Maintaining that Rev. King was innocent, Joy King said the suspect was sleeping upstairs in his residence on the fateful day when scream of ‘fire and help’ rent the air from downstairs.

The defence witness while throwing more light on the bribe offer said she was lured financially to testify against the pastor by the first prosecution witness, Vivian Ezeocha.

The action, she nonetheless noted, was masterminded by Mr. Akubue.

According to her, Mr. Akubue was just out to see Rev. King punished, having earlier alleged that the pastor abducted his wife.

The witness who claimed to be an Economics graduate of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), however, stunned the court when she could neither remember her Vice-Chancellor’s name nor that of her Head of Department.

She also stated that though she left Rev. King’s abode last June 22 (a month before the alleged fire incident), she always went there daily to clean up the compound.

Under cross examination by the State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Mrs. Bola Okikiolu-Ighile, Chinenye said Rev. King persuaded her to come and testify before the court, when she visited him last Friday at Ikoyi prisons.

Chinenye claimed that she knew Rev King 24 years ago as they worshipped together at a church called Ekperefuna in the East.

Joy King also claimed that she was a prostitute and witch before being "delivered" by Rev. King at the CPA.

Earlier, at the trial presided over by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole, defence counsel, Mr. Mike Okoye said he has 30 witnesses to testify to the case.