The police in Ogun State on Wednesday arrested a 54-year-old self-acclaimed pastor, Niyi Omowodun, for allegedly defiling a 12-year-old girl (name withheld) in Itele-Ota, Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the state.
The suspect, who is a resident of Ejigun Agbede Itele Ota, was arrested following a complaint by the father of the victim, who reported at Itele police divisional headquarters.
Our correspondent gathered that the complainant told the police that he had received a call from one of his neighbours that his daughter had been sexually abused by the suspect.
According to him, the suspect, who is a neighbour, was caught in the act.
A statement by the spokesman of the police command in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said following receipt of the report, the DPO Itele division, Monday Unuigbe, detailed his detectives to pursue the suspect and subsequently arrested him.
Oyeyemi said: “On interrogation, the suspect, who claimed to be a pastor at Helmet of Life international church, confessed having unlawful carnal knowledge of the little girl.
“He stated further that he lured the girl into an uncompleted building in the area when she was on an errand.
“When asked whether he had no wife, the suspect explained that he separated with his wife since 2016,” Oyeyemi said.
He added that the Commissioner of Police, Kenneth Ebrimson, had ordered the transfer of the suspect to the anti-human trafficking and child labour unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and prosecution.
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