Men of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested a 48-year-old pastor of The Light House Gospel Church, Oluwo, Owode-Egba, in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the state, Pastor Michael Abiodun, for allegedly defiling and impregnating a 12-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 Friday.
Oyeyemi explained that the pastor was arrested following information received by policemen at Owode Egba Divisional Headquarters.
The PPRO said the police gathered that the victim’s mother joined the church as a result of 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.
“On the fateful day, the pastor, 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 to pregnancy.
“Upon the information, the DPO of 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 to 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 the dare consequences if she informed anybody about what happened between them, and that was the reason she didn’t inform her mother.”
The PPRO, however, said the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, had ordered the transfer of the suspect to State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and possible prosecution.