A Magistrates’ Family Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State has remanded one Adetunji Obatayo, 55, in the correctional centre, for allegedly d£filing a 14-year-old student and procuring ab%rtion for her.
The defendant, who’s a pastor of Deeper Life Bible Church and the principal of a school in Oka Akoko, was charged with three counts charge of defil£ment, unlawfully prescribing dr¥gs to procure ab%rtion and k+lling an unborn child of the victim in his custody.
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 Obatala by her parents when she was 10 years.
According to her, “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 s+xual 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 dr¥gs to ab%rt the pregnancy after many preventive dr¥gs.
But during the third pregnancy, he refused to give me money for the dr¥g, and I st%le 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 victim was ordered to be taken in for rehabilitation till further notice and the case was adjourned to August 29, this year, for mentioning.
