Police detectives have detained Pastor Michael Abiodun, 48, of The Light House Gospel Church Oluwo, Owode Egba in the Obafemi Owode local government area of Ogun State, on suspicion of defiling and impregnating a 12-year-old member of his church.
It was discovered that the victim's mother had joined a church because of what she believed to be spiritual issues that had caused the deaths of two of her daughters.
She joined the church in an effort to find salvation and stop further child loss.
The victim's mother was instructed to send her daughter to the pastor, a father of three, for special prayers, but instead, the pastor allegedly took the girl into a church chamber and raped her, resulting in pregnancy.
Abimbola Oyeyemi, the police public relations officer, told reporters that the pastor had been detained after detectives were dispatched to the scene by Olasunkanmi Popoola, the divisional police officer for Owode Egba.
The preacher confessed to perpetrating the crime during questioning, according to Oyeyemi, a Superintendent of Police (SP), but he put the responsibility on the devil.
He also admitted being one that deflowered the girl, a Junior Secondary School 2 student, according to the police spokesperson.
“The mother of the victim explained to the police that since her daughter has not been menstruating before, it was difficult for her to know that she was pregnant until seven months after.
“The victim, who was delivered of a baby three months ago informed the police that she was threatened by the Pastor of a dire consequences if she informed anybody about what happened between them, and that was the reason she didn’t inform her mother,” Oyeyemi said.
The suspect will be transferred to State Criminal Investigation Departments for further investigation and prosecution.