A pastor, Daniel Oluwafeyiropo, has been remanded by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court for allegedly raping two of his church members.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the court, presided over by Justice Ramon Oshodi, ordered that the founder of “I Reign Christian Ministry” be remanded in the Kirikiri Correctional Centre until he meets the conditions of his bail.
Justice Oshodi granted the defendant bail in the sum of N20 million with two sureties who must provide the same amount. According to him, one of the sureties must be the owner of a property in Lagos State, and the property must be sufficient to cover the bail sum. The court also ordered the defendant to deposit his international passport with the chief registrar of the court.
“The original document of the landed property must be submitted to the chief registrar of Lagos State.
“The sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and must have three years’ tax payment to the Lagos State,” he said.
The defendant was earlier arraigned on two counts of rape and pleaded not guilty to the charges. The prosecution alleged that he committed the offences in June 2020 at Ikota Villa Estate, Lekki, Lagos, which contravenes Sections 260 (2) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
The defence counsel, Olukunle Oyewole, had earlier urged the court to grant bail to the defendant on liberal terms. He argued that the defendant had been on police administrative bail since May 20, 2023, and had made himself available to the police.
“My lord, the defendant was not informed on the day the matter came up for the first time before this court.
“The defendant is a well-known religious leader and he has shown by his action that he will not jump bail.
“The offence for which he is charged is a bailable offence and he has credible sureties that can stand for him,” he said.
The judge adjourned the case until May 9 for trial and ordered an accelerated hearing of the case. The names of the alleged victims were withheld for confidentiality reasons.
