A 48-year-old pastor, Michael Abiodun, has been arrested by men of the Ogun State Police Command in Owode- Egba, in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area, for allegedly defiling and impregnating a 12-year-old member of his church (name withheld).
The state police spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.
Oyeyemi explained that the cleric was arrested following information received by policemen at Owode Egba divisional headquarters.
He noted that the police gathered that the victim’s mother joined the church for a solution to a spiritual problem which led to the death of two of her daughters.
Oyeyemi added, “In order to prevent the victim from the same calamity, she ran to the church for deliverance. The pastor, who is 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.
“Upon the information, 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 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 dire consequences if she informed anybody about what happened between them. She said that was the reason she didn’t inform her mother.”
Oyeyemi said the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, has ordered the transfer of the suspect to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation and prosecution.
