An Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court on Wednesday sentenced a 54-year-old pastor, Michael Oliseh, to life imprisonment for defiling his friend’s 12-year-old twin daughters.
Delivering judgment, Justice Abiola Soladoye, described Oliseh, the assistant pastor of Anointed Chosen Vessel Ministry, Okota, Lagos, as a “serial rapist” who took turns defiling his friend’s daughters.
She held that the prosecution convincingly proved the charges of defilement against Oliseh beyond any reasonable doubt.
The judge said, “The testimony of the defendant portrayed him as a serial rapist who took turns to defile the survivors. What a disloyal and untrustworthy pastor, who shamelessly and audaciously had sexual intercourse with his friend’s children who were entrusted in his care. His conduct is unbecoming of a pastor.”
The judge ordered that the name of the convict be entered into the sex offenders’ register of the Lagos State Government.
Justice Soladoye also berated the parents of the victims for lack of discipline by sending them to stay with the convict.
She said, “Children are not to be entrusted with rowdy adults. They should be kept in the hands of responsible adults who have their goodwill at heart. The need for responsible parenting cannot be overemphasized.”
According to the prosecution counsel, Mrs Olufunke Adegoke, Oliseh committed the crimes sometime in November, 2017, in Ago, near Okota, a suburb of Lagos.
Adegoke said the defendant defiled the survivors after their father entrusted them in his care and travelled to the village for a burial.
She said that Oliseh then threatened them that their father would become jobless if they told anyone about the sexual encounters.
She also submitted that Oliseh was caught by one of his neighbours after he had chased one of the survivors into the neighbours compound and dragged her with her pant.
