Justice Abiola Soladoye of the Lagos Special Offences Court, Ikeja, on Wednesday sentenced a 54-year-old pastor, Michael Oliseh, to life imprisonment for defiling his friend’s 12-year-old daughters.
The convict was arraigned by the state government on a two-count charge of child defilement in 2018.
The prosecution counsel, Mrs. Olufunke Adegoke, told the court that Oliseh committed the crimes sometimes in November 2017 at his residence in Ago Palace Way in Okota, a suburb of Lagos.
Adegoke said the pastor defiled the minors after their father entrusted them in his care and travelled to the village for a burial.
She said Oliseh threatened the twins that their father would become jobless if they told anyone about the sexual encounter.
His atrocity was however blown open when he was caught by one of the neighbours having unlawful carnal knowledge of one of the girls.
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In her ruling, the judge described Oliseh who claimed to be an assistant pastor of the Anointed Chosen Vessel Ministry in the Okota area of the state as a serial rapist deserves the life imprisonment to serve as a deterrent to others.
She said the prosecution had proven its case beyond every reasonable doubt that Oliseh committed the crime and duly sentenced Oliseh him to life imprisonment on the charges.
Soladoye said: “The testimony of the defendant portrayed him as a serial rapist who took turns to defile the survivors.
“What a disloyal and untrustworthy pastor, who shamelessly and audaciously had s–ual in-e-cou-se with his friend’s children who were entrusted in his care. His conduct is unbecoming of a pastor.
“Having been found guilty as charged with the two offences, the defendant is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment.”
She also ordered that the convict’s name should be included in the Lagos State government’s Sex Offenders Register with immediate effect.