Men of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested a 38-year-old General Overseer of The Beloved Chapel, Agbado in Ifo Local Government Area of the state, Pastor Israel Adebayo, for allegedly defiling a 14-year-old member of his church (name withheld).
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
Oyeyemi said the pastor whose church is situated at No 9, Iyaniwura street, off Owonikoko street, Agbado area of the state, was arrested following a complaint lodged at Agbado divisional headquarters by the mother of the victim.
He said the victim’s mother reported that the incident happened while she travelled to treat herself of certain ailment.
The PPRO added that the mother said her daughter, who happened to be a choir member in the church, went to church and the pastor lured her into his room and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.
He said, “Upon the report, the Divisional Police Officer, Agbado division, detailed his detectives to the scene, where the pastor was promptly arrested.
“On interrogation, the pastor who admitted defiling the victim pleaded for forgiveness.
“According to him, his family and that of the victim are so close, but he didn’t know how and why such thing happened to him.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect would have been arrested a long time ago, but the mother of the victim frustrated the move because she didn’t want to offend her pastor.
“But when the victim is continuously bleeding from her private part since the incident which happened October 2021. She was left with no other option than to allow police come into the matter.
“The victim, who claimed that the pastor was the first person to sleep with her, is currently recuperating in an hospital.”
The PPRO, however, said the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, had ordered the transfer of the case to state Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and possible prosecution.
He said the Commissioner also warned parents to stop the habit of covering anybody who indecently assaulted their daughters no matter how close they were to such persons as they too may be liable for prosecution for compounding felony.
