JAGISTS

A Lagos cleric Prophet Olushola Akinsipe has been arraigned in court for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl during a spiritual deliverance session in his church.

A medical doctor, Mrs Sekinat Oredoyin, on Wednesday told an Ikeja High Court how Akinsipe allegedly defiled the girl who is also visually-impaired.

Oredoyin, a public health physician at Yaba Local Council Development Area, made the disclosure when she was led in evidence by the state counsel, Mr Michael Adewoye.

The witness told the court that the victim presented herself for medical examination alongside her father, on Dec. 12, 2020.

According to her, the victim narrated how the defendant, the pastor of Power of the Home Deliverance Ministry, had forceful sexual intercourse with her on five different occasions.

She said;

“The survivor and her father were referred from Owutu Police Station. They came into the facility at about 2:36 pm, and the survivor complained of forceful penetration.

The survivor is a visually-impaired child, and her father took her to the defendant for deliverance.

She said the defendant gave her an unknown substance to drink and after that, she could not remember anything, but she was able to narrate to her father after he discovered a brownish discharge under her pant and interrogated her.”

Dr Oredoyin further told the court that the victim had hyper-pigmentation around her face and some marks on her waist which resulted from injuries she sustained during the deliverance.

The survivor said that the defendant beat her with banana leaves during the deliverance and also scrubbed her back with salt.

“The medical examination findings were in keeping with forceful vagina penetration. The blood samples showed pregnancy test was negative but because of the sore on her body, I directed her to Domestic Sexual Violence Agency for counselling.

“At that time, she was depressed as she believed that she was the one that killed her mother and she was made to believe that her father was not progressing because of her. I concluded my report and sent it back to the police,” she told the court.

The prophet is facing a three-count of defilement, indecent treatment of a child and trial by ordeal. According to the prosecution, the offences committed contravened Sections 128(b), 135, and 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015. Justice Oshodi adjourned the case till April 17 for the continuation of trial.