An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced a self-acclaimed pastor, Enoch Gbinyiam, to life imprisonment for rape.
Gbinyiam is the presiding pastor of one of the parishes of a popular Pentecostal church in Omuo Ekiti, the headquarters of Ekiti East local government area of the state.
He was standing trial on a lone count offence of rape of a minor at the court presided over by Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi.
The pastor was said to have raped the girl, who is the daughter of one of his church members when she visited the church vicarage.
The victim was said to regularly visit the mission house to assist the pastor‘s wife in the house chores and teach his children in their school assignments.
The convict was said to have added a drug to a bottle of soft drink offered to the girl during one of her visits to the vicarage.
The poor girl was said to have slept off after taking the drinks, only to wake up and find out that she was bleeding profusely from her vagina.
The convict was later arrested and charged to Court with the offence of rape contrary to section 2 of the Gender–Based Violence (Prohibition) Law,2019.
The director of public prosecutions, Mr Julius Ajibare, prosecuted the case for Ekiti State. He called four witnesses and tendered two exhibits to prove his case.
The convict, who spoke through his counsel, Adeyinka Opaleke gave evidence in his defence and called one other witness.
Justice Ogunyemi, in his judgement, held that the prosecution proved the offence of rape against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge consequently sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment.
