On Sunday, we reported that a Catholic Priest allegedly impregnated a 14-year old girl in Benue state, and the report did not go down well with a lot of people who came on our facebook page to defend him and insult this organisation for reporting the sto
ry. Today, it is the case of an Apostolic Church Pastor.

On Monday 18, February, 2019, an Ikeja Chief
Magistrates’ Court remanded a 60-year-old Pastor of the Apostolic Church, world wide, Benjamin Omole, who allegedly defiled his 11-year-old pupil in a school toilet.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Olufunke Sule-Amzat, ordered that the defendant should be kept in the Kirikiri Prisons, Lagos State, pending the advice of the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions.

The defendant, a resident of 4, Oke-Orio Close in Ifako Ijaiye area of Lagos, who is also a teacher at Atunda Olu special school, Surulere, Lagos is standing trial for child defilement, but he pleaded not guilty.

The Prosecutor, Mr Benson Emuerhi, had told the court that the defendant committed the offence on Jan. 16, at the premises of Atunda-Olu School for Special Needs, situated on Adam Orisha Street, Surulere, Lagos.

He explained that the defendant took advantage of his being a teacher in the school to defile the girl, who is a pupil in his school.
“He defiled the 11-year-old girl (name withheld) by having carnal knowledge of her,” he said.

Denying the allegations, Omole said: “I am a teacher at Atunda Olu Special School in Surulere. I have been an ordained pastor of the Apostolic Church Worldwide for the past 17 years. I am an indigene of Ijebu-Ijesha in Osun State.
“I have been handling people with intellectual disability. I have never defiled any of them. I did not defile her.”

The prosecutor told the court that the case was reported at the Gender Section of Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, by one Mrs Mercy Ogunranti, a social worker attached to Social Development Centre.

According to Emuerhi, the child refused to eat food given to her by her mother on the fateful day.

“She said that she wanted to buy Indomie noodles.

“After much questioning on how she got money for indomie, the victim said that the defendant gave her N100,00 after taking her to the school’s toilet.

“The defendant took the victim to the school’s toilet, fondled with her breasts and had sexual intercourse with her,” he submitted.

He noted that child defilement contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, and attracts up to life imprisonment.

The case was adjourned until April 4 for mention