Popular Pastor impregnates 16-year-old girl

Pastor Josiah Akinsuyi, the shepherded in charge of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) at Abusoro area of Ijoka in Akure, Ondo State, has reportedly defiled and impregnated a 16-year-old girl.

Also, a 43-year-old Islamic cleric, Abdulsalam Salaudeen, was yesterday remanded in prison custody by an Ikeja Chief Magistrate’s Court, Lagos, for allegedly defiling a five-year-old female pupil inside a mosque. The Ondo State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), who paraded Akinsuyi, said the 33-year-old pastor could not be trusted with young girls and women in the church.

Parading the pastor and five others at the office of the NSCDC yesterday, the Commandant, Mr. Pedro Awili, explained that it was the father of the victim who reported the case to the command when his daughter confessed to him that the pastor had been having sexual intercourse with her.

Awili said pregnancy test conducted on the teenager showed that she was four months pregnant. According to him, the victim and her family live around the church of the pastor located at Abusoro, Ijoka area of Akure. Awili said Akinsuyi took over the victim from a man, Sunday Babatunde, who had been sleeping with the girl before now.

He said: “Our investigation revealed that the pastor had carnal knowledge of the girl three times and we have carried out pregnancy test which showed that the girl is four months pregnant. “Investigation also revealed that the elder sister of the girl has knowledge of the sexual relationship between the pastor and the victim.

This is because the first time he wanted to have carnal knowledge of her, she was not cooperating and she informed her sister who asked her to cooperate with the pastor. “Another time the pastor slept with her was in the classroom of one private school owned by his wife. Although the pastor denied having any intercourse with the girl, I did not expect him to accept the allegation.

“The girl confessed to us that the pastor has earlier promised to give her N50, 000 but failed on his promise and has not been attending to her since then. This made the girl to inform her father about the sexual relationship with the pastor. The girl has confessed to us that it was the pastor who impregnated.”

Meanwhile, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Olufunke Sule- Amzat, remanded Salaudeen in Kirikiri Prison after he pleaded not guilty to a one-count charge of defilement of a child. Sule-Amzat ordered that the defendant be kept in prison custody pending advice from the state Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

According to the police prosecutor, Inspector Benson Emuerhi, the accused committed the offence on December 22 at Olorungbebe Mosque located at Iyana Ile-Oba in Igando area of Lagos.

Emuerhi told the court that the accused was a popular Islamic cleric who resided at 16, Awoyemi Street, Igando Road, Ikotun, a Lagos suburb. The prosecutor said the incident was reported by a neighbour, who recorded a video clip of him defiling the child, at the Ikeja Police Command.

Emuerhi added that the offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. The accused was earlier arrested by the police. A copy of the video recording was presented to the state Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, showing Salaudeen defiling the girl who he was meant to be teaching Islamic studies at the mosque. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), CSP Chike Oti, said a neighbour of the accused had presented a video evidence of the cleric having anal sex with his underage pupil.

He said: “The commissioner, after watching the heart-rending video, directed the command’s undercover operatives attached to the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) to immediately arrest the culprit and hand him over to the gender section for a detailed investigation.

“The operatives went in search of the cleric and arrested him near a mosque in the Igando area of the state. “He was taken from there to the Gender Unit, where the officer-in-charge, ASP Abimbola Williams, confronted him with the video footage of him defiling the child by penetrating her anus and private parts.” The magistrate thereafter adjourned the matter till February 7 for hearing