A Family Court in Ondo State has ordered that Pastor Adetunji Obatayo be held in prison for sexually abusing his foster daughter and arranging three abortions for her.
Reports indicate that the victim has been residing with the accused since 2020 when her parents entrusted her to the pastor’s care.
Obatayo also serves as the principal at the school the 14-year-old victim attends.
The 55-year-old suspect was apprehended by the state police after the victim revealed the sexual abuse to her parents.
He was subsequently arraigned in court on three charges related to sexual assault, illegally administering drugs to induce an abortion, and causing the death of an unborn child.
The charges, as stated in the indictment, violated Sections 218, 230, and 328 of the Criminal Laws of Ondo State, 2006.
During the hearing, the victim testified that Obatayo had been sleeping with her life since she began living with him when she was just 10 years old.
She said, “My parents released me to live with the pastor due to his desire to train me. On my first day in his house, he forcefully had sexual intercourse with me and told me not to tell anyone about it.
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“He had impregnated me thrice and he gave me N5,000 to buy some contraceptive drugs to abort the pregnancy after many preventive drugs. But during the third pregnancy, he refused to give me money for the drug, and I stole his money to buy the pills.
”Pastor later accused me of stealing his money for my boyfriend which led to the arrest of a boy in our school and I informed my parents about his ordeal.”
The magistrate, B.A. Alphonso, decreed that the defendant be held at the Olokuta Correctional Centre and instructed that the case file be forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions for guidance.
The magistrate mandated that the victim undergo rehabilitation and postponed the case until August 29, 2024, for further proceedings.
