ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- A Lagos State Pastor, Feyi Daniels, founder of iReign Christian Ministry, has been handed a life sentence by the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence court for the rape and sexual assault of a female church member.
The trial judge, Rahman Oshodi, found the cleric guilty, dismissing his claims that three out of the four accusers conspired against him.
During cross-examination, the prosecution, led by Babajide Boye, sought to establish a personal relationship between Bishop Daniels and the women, alleging financial assistance and counseling. The accused denied these allegations, maintaining his innocence.
Boye claimed that the defendant had counseled one of the women, given the amount of N100,000 to another for hospital treatment, paid school fees for a third, and related with a fourth as a leader in the campus fellowship affiliated with his ministry at Akungba-Akobo in Ondo State.
But the Bishop denied giving money to one of the women for treatment. He said, “I believe all three ladies turned against me, but not (name withheld) because she later apologised to me.”
The prosecutor also presented four statements purportedly written by Daniels during police custody, leading to objections from the defense, claiming they were signed under duress.
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Boye also accused the defendant of using his position as a Pastor to manipulate persons who come to him for counseling.
“You are a man of God. Are you not? A powerful man of God. You get trained to counsel, and you use wisdom and the leading of the spirit to manipulate,” he asked.
However, Daniels denied this allegation, saying, “I am not a powerful man; I am a pastor. I do not use power to counsel people; I am not a manipulator.”
The Prosecutor further grilled the defendant, “You visited your Akungba fellowship centre, and when she (one of the alleged victims) saw you, she hissed. Were you not surprised as a pastor?
“No. She was disgruntled because I couldn’t help her financially.”
The defence counsel, Adebayo Adegbite, raised objections to the admissibility of the statements. He argued that the statements were not made by the defendant and that the Bishop signed them under duress.
“The statements are a mixture of confession and denial. We leave it to the court to determine whether they amount to a confession. Right from the start of this trial, the defendant has denied the charges, that’s his plea. The documents weren’t made voluntarily. Even if there were contradictions, he wasn’t the maker of the documents, they were written by the police,” Adegbite stated.
Despite the defense’s objections, Justice Rahman Oshodi admitted the documents, emphasizing their relevance in evaluating the case’s evidential value.
In his ruling, Justice Oshodi said: “By section 9(3) and (4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State (2021), the presence of a video testimony of the suspect is desirable but not compulsory. I will admit the documents and later consider the evidential value to place on them. The objection of the defence is hereby overruled.”