Tobias Sylvester
Ogun State Police Command has arrested Pastor Michael Abiodun of The Light House Gospel Church, Oluwo, Owode-Egba, in the Obafemi-Owode local Government Area of the state.
Pastor Michael Abiodun
The command spokesman, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, said the 48-year-old cleric was arrested for allegedly defiling and impregnating a 12-year-old daughter of a member of his church.
Oyeyemi said that the pastor was arrested after the mother of the victim reported the incident to policemen at Owode Egba Divisional Headquarters.
According to him, the victim’s mother said she joined the pastor’s church as a result of a spiritual problem which led to the death of two of her daughters.
The police spokesman added, “In order to prevent the victim from the same calamity, she ran to the church for deliverance.
“On the fateful day, the pastor, a father of three, asked the victim’s mother to send her to him for special prayer, but on getting there, the pastor took her into a room within the church and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her, which resulted to pregnancy.
“Upon the information, the DPO of Owode Egba Division, CSP Olasunkanmi Popoola, detailed his detectives to the scene where the randy pastor was promptly arrested.
“On interrogation, he confessed to the commission of the crime but blamed it on the devil. He further confessed being the person who deflowered the victim who was a JSS 2 student.
“The mother of the victim explained to the police that since her daughter has not been menstruating before, it was difficult for her to know that she was pregnant until seven months after.
“The victim, who was delivered of a baby three months ago, informed the police that she was threatened by the pastor of the dare consequences if she informed anybody about what happened between them, and that was the reason she didn’t inform her mother.”
The PPRO, however, said the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, had ordered the transfer of the suspect to State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and possible prosecution.
KanyiDaily had also reported how another pastor, Makanjula Olabisi Lanre, was remanded in prison for allegedly having carnal knowledge of three biological sisters in Kwara.
