A 48-year-old pastor, Michael Abiodun, who allegedly defiled and impregnated a 12-year-old member of his church, has been arrested.
Spokesman of Ogun Police Command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed this in a statement issued in Abeokuta, the state capital, on Friday.
He said the suspect, who is the pastor of “The LightHouse Gospel Church”, Oluwo in Owode Egba, Obafemi Owode Local Government area of the state, was arrested on Thursday.
According to Oyeyemi, the suspect was arrested following a complaint received at Owode Egba divisional headquarters from the victim’s mother.
Oyeyemi said the mother said she had joined the church in search of a solution to a spiritual problem which led to the death of two of her daughters.
“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 in pregnancy,” the Police Spokesman quoted the mother to have narrated.
Oyeyemi said following the complaint, the DPO 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 to have deflowered the girl 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 PPRO said.
He added that the victim, who was delivered of a baby three months ago, “informed the police that she was threatened by the pastor of dire consequences if she informed anybody about what happened between them and that was the reason she didn’t inform her mother.”
Oyeyemi quoted the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, to have ordered the transfer of the suspect to State Criminal Investigation Departments for further investigation and possible prosecution.
