Pastor Enoch Gbinyiam of Winners Chapel Church in Omuo-Ekiti has been sentenced to life imprisonment in prison by the Ado-Ekiti High Court for the brutal assault of a minor within the sacred confines of his church.
The incident, which took place on June 13, has shocked the community and left many grappling with disbelief and outrage.
The case, presented by State Director of Public Prosecutions Julius Ajiba, revealed a deeply disturbing narrative.
The young victim, a daughter of a church member, often visited the vicarage to assist the pastor’s wife with household chores and to help his children with their schoolwork.
On one such visit, the pastor’s sinister intentions came to light. Ajiba recounted how Gbinyiam laced a bottle of Fanta with sedatives and offered it to the unsuspecting girl.
Upon consuming the drink, she fell into a deep sleep, only to awaken to the horror of profuse bleeding from her private parts.
The swift response of the authorities led to the pastor’s arrest and subsequent trial. The court was presented with compelling evidence, including testimonies from four witnesses and two critical exhibits.
Despite Gbinyiam’s pleas of innocence and his defence counsel’s efforts, Justice O.I.O. Ogunyemi found the evidence irrefutable.
The conviction, under the stringent provisions of the Gender-Based Violence (Prohibition) Law of 2019, underscores a significant victory for justice.
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Gbinyiam’s sentence to life in a Correctional Centre sends a strong message against such vile acts, offering a sliver of solace to the aggrieved family and the shocked community.
