The Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, on Monday, granted a bishop, Oluwafeyiropo Daniel, who was accused of raping two of his church pastors (names withheld) bail.
Justice Ramon Oshodi however remanded
Oluwafeyiropo who is the founder of I Reign Christian Ministry in Kirikiri
Correctional Centre pending when he can perfect his bail conditions.
The defendant was granted N20m bail with two
sureties in like sum.
Justice Oshodi said one of the sureties must
be the owner of a property in Lagos State and the property must be enough to
cover the bail sum.
“The original document of the landed property
must be submitted to the Chief Registrar of Lagos State.
“The sureties must reside within the court’s
jurisdiction and must show evidence of three years’ tax payment to the Lagos
State,” he said.
The judge also ordered the defendant to
deposit his passport with the chief registrar of the court and ordered an
acceleration hearing of the case.
Earlier, the defendant’s counsel, Mr Olukunle
Oyewole, who moved his bail application dated April 10, urged the court to
grant him bail on liberal terms.
Oyewole contended that the defendant had been
on police administrative bail since March 20, 2023, and had made himself
available to the police.
“The
defendant is a well-known religious leader and he has shown by his action that
he will not jump bail.
“The offence for which he is charged is a
bailable offence and he has credible sureties that can stand for him,” he said.
The state prosecution counsel, Mr Babjide
Boye, in his counter affidavit dated April 14, urged the court to refuse the
defendant’s bail application, but however, left it at the discretion of the
court.
Boye further argued that the offence was a
serious one and that the likelihood of conviction might put the defendant at
flight risk.
He said, “There is also the possibility of
the defendant interfering with the prosecution witnesses.
“He is a bishop of so many branches and if
granted bail, he may use his position to influence the prosecution witnesses as
he is regarded as a man of authority who has the possibility of committing the
same crime.
“We urge the court to deny the defendant bail
because he has failed to provide the court exceptional circumstances to grant
him bail.”
Daniel was earlier arraigned on a two-count
charge bordering on rape.
The prosecutor told the court that the
defendant allegedly committed the offence sometime in June 2020, at Ikota Villa
Estate, Lekki, Lagos.
According to the prosecutor, the offence
committed contravened Sections 260 (2) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State,
2015.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred
against him by the state.
The case was adjourned till May 9 for trial.
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