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• How alleged criminal acts of certain priests were exposed, forcing them to swap their cleric’s cassocks for the prisoner’s uniform
By Henry Umahi
Nigeria is undoubtedly one of the most religious countries in the world. There are countless number of churches all over the country as well as all manner of leaders bearing all sorts of nomenclatures.
However, many of the clerics have done some abominable things, taking advantage of their gullible members. For their unholy and loathsome conducts, some of them have landed in prison.
Some clerics have been jailed for murder, rape, drug trafficking, stealing, gangsterism and occult practices, among other ungodly acts.
On February 20, 2024, an Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure, the capital of the state, sentenced a pastor and five others to death for their involvement in bank robberies, which took place in Akure and Idanre in 2011.
The convicts are Pastor Adewale Adelu, Ikechuckwu Maduagwu, Fayemi Olubusuyi, Ropo Adeleye, Dele Otopka and Bayo Omotosho.
The court found them guilty of robbing two commercial banks in Akure and Idanre on November 19 and December 8, 2011 in Akure and Idanre respectively. Men of the state police command arrested and charged them to court.
Recently, a Sabo-Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos ordered that the Pastor of Kingdom Power International Christian Praying Centre, Ishashi, Lagos, Azuka Ohez and his wife, Mary Ohez, be remanded for allegedly aiding in defrauding a lubricant company of N33.8 million.
The defendants, whose address was not provided, are facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and fraud. They were arraigned in the chamber of the magistrate.
The Chief Magistrate, Adeola Olatubosun, ordered that the husband should be remanded in Ikoyi Correctional Centre and his wife remanded in female custodial facility, pending when they meet their bail conditions.
Olatubosun granted the couple bail in the sum of N10 million each, with two responsible sureties each in like sum. She adjourned the matter till May 13 for substantive trial.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Rita Momah, told the court that the duo and some others still at large, committed the offences on July 13, 2023 at Oba Ayoka St, Lagos.
She alleged that the couple and one Chijioke Ezekirian, conspired to steal and receive proceeds of sales from Climax Lubricants Industries in Lagos.
She submitted that the couple knowingly received the total sum of N33.8 million through a Fidelity Bank KPICPC account numbers 2033723459 and 5600923549 from Chijioke Ezekirian.
Momah said the offences contravened Sections 328 (1) and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
While the outcome of the case involving Pastor Azuka Ohez and his wife, Mary, is not yet known, an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence court on January 26 sentenced founder of iReign Christian Ministry, Lagos, Feyi Daniels, to life imprisonment for raping an assistant pastor in his church. He also bagged another three years for forcefully touching and sucking the breasts of a 19-year-old member of his church.
The trial judge, Rahman Oshodi, found the cleric guilty of rape and sexual assault of a female worshipper (name withheld) and held that the cleric should spend the rest of his life at the Kirikiri custodial facility in Lagos.
The judge held that the prosecution established the ingredients of the two offences against him by a 19-year-old church member and a 23-year-old assistant pastor.
Oshodi said Daniels is a liar and does not have any regard for truth.
Similarly, in February 2023, an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic and Violence Court convicted and sentenced a 51-year-old pastor, Nduka Anyanwu, to life imprisonment for defiling and impregnating two teenage sisters.
Justice Abiola Soladoye handed down the sentence after finding Anyanwu guilty of the offence. He was arraigned on April 17, 2022, on two counts of defilement by the Lagos State Government.
In her evidence, the mother of the victims stated that she was shocked when she found out that her two daughters were impregnated by the same man.
In his defence, the pastor said it was the father of the victims who gave him one of the girls as a wife and they were having conjugal relations.
Justice Sholadoye said: “I am convinced of the evidence led that the defendant is guilty as charged for the offence of defilement. The police shied away from their responsibility by not charging the father of the victims along with the defendant.
“The parents of these victims are highly irresponsible and reckless in their parenting. The negligence of their children has contributed to them now being grandparents of two additional mouths to feed. They should have been sanctioned and brought to justice.
“The parents of these two victims, who are biological sisters, acted irresponsibly by allowing their so-called pastor friend to deceive them that he will help them take their children abroad when the defendant cannot even help himself.
“Nduka Anyawu, you are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment, in respect of count one and count two.
“The sentence is to run concurrently. His name should be registered in the Lagos State offenders’ register.”
Perhaps, the most controversial among the pastors is Chukwuemeka Ezugo, commonly known as ‘Rev. King’, who founded the Christian Praying Assembly. He started in Anambra State before relocating to Lagos.
In 2006, he literally swallowed a live python by setting ablaze a member of his church, Miss Ann Uzoh. The girl sustained serious injuries and later died. The roasting of Ann drew the ire of Nigerians, if not the world.
During Rev. King’s trial, church members revealed secrets of astounding dimensions. One lady claimed that she used to serve his meal stark naked. Another said that she had procured so many abortions that was no longer sure if she could take in again.
Many church members changed their surname to King. The men shaved their heads clean and spotted beards, just like him. Even Ann denied her biological father. On a few occasions when the man went looking for her at King’s place, she shunned him.
Rev. King was subsequently sentenced to death in January 2007 and his conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court on February 26, 2016. He has since been waiting for the hangman’s noose.
Interestingly, while in jail, his supporters celebrate his birthday in newspapers. There was even a time they pasted posters of him vying for the presidency.
For Prophet Alfa Babatunde, founder of Sotitobire Miracle Centre based in Ondo State, trouble started when a child, Gold Kolawole, disappeared during a church service he was presiding at. He was arrested on November 20, 2019, tried and sentenced to life imprisonment alongside six others who he had been working with.
For about 20 years, Pastor Michael Oluronbi was reportedly raping underage girls under the guise of performing exorcism and to free them from sin. In March 2020, he was sentenced to 34 years in prison by a Birmingham Crown Court in the United Kingdom. But wait for this: He committed the acts in collaboration with his wife.
It was reported that Oluronbi was arrested at Birmingham Airport while attempting to abscond to Nigeria. His victims included six women and a man. Five of them were members of his church, whom he started abusing since they were children.
Oluronbi, who is also a pharmacist, impregnated some of the victims and terminated the pregnancies with the help of his wife.
Delivering the ruling, the presiding judge, Sarah Buckingham, described the matter as “one of the worst cases of sexual abuse of multiple children to come before the courts.”
Describing Oluronbi as an arrogant, selfish and vain man, she said: “The children feared you and this enabled you to continue your grip. Your offending has had an extreme and severe impact on all of your complainants. Any attempt to suggest otherwise would be without foundation.
“You abused your position of trust – they trusted you like God.”
Oluronbi’s wife, Juliana, bagged 11 years for aiding and abetting rape, and helping with abortions of the victims.
In July 2023, Justice Christiana Obadina of an Osun State High Court in Ikire sentenced a 42-year-old prophet, Segun Philip, and 23-year-old Owolabi Adeeko to death by hanging, almost four years after they killed a final year student of the Lagos State University, Favour Daley-Oladele, for ritual purposes. They killed Favour, removed her heart and used it to prepare pepper soup for Owolabi’s mother to boost her business.
A pastor in Abuja, Princewill, was jailed seven years for raping and drugging a minor. It was reported that he usually drugged the minor before raping her and he was alleged to have given her abortion drugs forcefully after the incidents.
Some have been jailed for human, criminal conversion of other people’s property and forgery, among others.
