Lagos court remands pastor for r*ping a teenage girl

An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court, has remanded a 50-year-old Pastor, Lawrence Omoniyi, in the Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos, for allegedly raping a teenage girl.

The defendant, who resides at 4, Orisunbare St., off Tapa Road, Isawo in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, was said to have committed the crime between 2020 and 2022.

The Prosecutor, ASP Raji Akeem, told the court that the 15-year-old victim and the defendant reside in the same house at the said address, adding that the victim confided in one of her sisters that the defendant had sexually assaulted her in the last two years.

According to the prosecutor, the defendant threatened to kill the victim if she told anyone.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The Chief Magistrate, Bola Osunsanmi, who did not take the defendant’s plea, adjourned the case until April 18 for the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

This development, however, came barely a week after a 24-year-old man identified as Onyeka Nwafor was remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre by an Ikeja Magistrate court, sitting in the Ogba area of Lagos State.

Nwafor was remanded for allegedly using a fake gun to rob one Henry Ajayi of his eight phones worth N5 million, and also allegedly raped a 30-year-old woman, Muidat Jimoh.

According to the police prosecutor, ASP Ola Olasiyan, the defendant committed the offence on August 20, 2022.

He argued that the offence committed is punishable under Sections 299, 297(1), 298(3), and 260 of the Criminal law of Lagos State 2015.

Magistrate E. Kubenje, however, gave the order after the defendant, who is facing four charges bordering on robbery and rape leveled against him by the police, was arraigned.