The General Overseer of The Beloved Chapel in Agbado area of Ogun State, Pastor Israel Adebayo, has been arrested by the police for allegedly defiling a 14-year-old choir girl (name withheld) in the church premises.
Adebayo, 38, was apprehended following a complaint by the victim’s mother.
In a statement on Sunday, Ogun police spokesman, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the mother “reported that while she traveled to treat herself of certain ailment, her daughter who happened to be a choir member in their church, went to Church and the Pastor lured her into his room and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.
“Upon the report, the DPO Agbado division, detailed his detectives to the scene where the Pastor was promptly arrested.”
The suspect reportedly confessed to the crime and asked for forgiveness, citing closeness to the family and surprise at how such happened.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect would have been arrested long ago, but the mother of the victim frustrated the move because she doesn’t want to offend her Pastor. But when the victim is continuously bleeding from her private part since the incident which happened October 2021, she was left with no other option than to allow Police come into the matter.
“The victim who claimed that the Pastor was the first person to sleep with her is currently recuperating in an hospital,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the case has been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department while the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, has warned the general public against shielding sex offenders.