A 55-year-old Pastor of the Deeper Life Bible Church and school principal, Mr. Adetunji Obatayo, has been remanded to prison custody for allegedly defiling a minor.
His victim, a 14-year-old student, got pregnant and he procured abortion for her.
Obatayo was arraigned before an Akure Magistrates’ Family Court on three counts charge of defilement, unlawfully prescribing drugs to procure abortion thereby killing an unborn child.
His pleas, were however, not taken.
He was said to have committed the offence sometime in February 2020 at Epinmi-Akoko, Akoko South-East local government area.
Police prosecutor, Folashade Adesuyi, informed the court that the defendant forcefully had carnal knowledge of the victim.
The offences, according to the charge, contravened Sections 218, 230 and 328 of the Criminal Laws of Ondo State, 2006.
Adesuyi said that the victim’s confession led to the arrest of the defendant.
The victim, in her narration before the court, said she was placed under the guardian of Pastor Obatayo by her parents when she was 10 years.
She told the court that Pastor Obatayo has been having intercourse with her since then.
“Four years ago, my parents released me to live with a pastor due to his desire to train me. On my first day in his house, he forcefully had sexual intercourse with me and told me not to tell anyone about it.
“He had impregnated me thrice and he gave me N5,000 to buy some contraceptive drugs to abort the pregnancy after many preventive drugs.
”But during the third pregnancy, he refused to give me money for the drug, and I stole his money to buy the pills.
”Pastor later accused me of stealing his money for my boyfriend which led to the arrest of a boy in our school and I informed my parents about his ordeal.”
Presiding Magistrate, B.A. Alphonso, ordered the defendant remanded to the Olokuta Correctional Centre and directed the case file sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.
The survivor was ordered to be taken in for rehabilitation till further notice and the case was adjourned to August 29, this year, for mentioning.