BY TIMOTHY AGBOR
A founder of a church, “I Reign Christian Ministry”, Bishop Daniel Oluwafeyiropo has been cooling off in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Centre for allegedly raping two of his church members (names withheld).
The clergyman was on Monday arraigned before an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on a two-count bordering on rape.
According to the prosecution, the defendant allegedly committed the offences sometime in June 2020 at Ikota Villa Estate, Lekki, Lagos.
The prosecution stated that the alleged offence contravened Sections 260 (2) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
Sequel to Oluwafeyiropo’s not guilty plea, his counsel, Olukunle Oyewole, applied for his bail and urged the court to make the bail conditions liberal.
Oyewole argued that the defendant had been on police administrative bail since May 20, 2023, and had made himself available to the police.
“My lord, the defendant was not informed on the day the matter came up for the first time before this court. The defendant is a well-known religious leader and he has shown by his action that he will not jump bail. The offence for which he is charged is a bailable offence and he has credible sureties that can stand for him,” he said in his bail application dated April 10, 2023.
The state lead prosecution counsel, Mr Babjide Boye, in his counter affidavit dated April 14, 2023 urged the court to refuse the bail application of the defendant.
Boye, however, argued that the offence was a serious one and the likelihood of conviction might make the defendant bolt away.
“There is also a possibility of the defendant interfering with the prosecution witnesses. He is a bishop of so many branches and if granted bail, he may use his position to influence the prosecution witnesses as he is regarded as a man of authority who has the possibility of committing the same crime.
“We urge the court to deny the defendant bail because he has failed to provide the court exceptional circumstances to grant him bail,” the prosecutor submitted.
Justice Ramon Oshodi granted the defendant bail in the sum of N20 million with two sureties in like amount.
He said one of the sureties must be the owner of a build-up property in Lagos State and the property must be enough to cover the bail sum.
“The original document of the landed property must be submitted to the chief registrar of Lagos State. The sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and must have three years’ tax payment to the Lagos State,” he said.
The judge also ordered the defendant to deposit his international passport with the chief registrar of the court and ordered an accelerated hearing of the case.
He remanded the church founder in Kirikiri Correctional Centre pending the fulfilment of his bail conditions.
Oshodi adjourned the case until May 9 for trial.
