Gloria Ogbu
The Pastor of Power of the Home Deliverance Ministry, Prophet Olushola Akinsipe has been arraigned before a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja for allegedly defiling a 13-year-old blind girl.
A medical doctor, Mrs Sekinat Oredoyin, narrated to the court how the Prophet allegedly defiled the 13-year-old visually impaired girl under the pretext of performing witchcraft deliverance for the victim.
Oredoyin, who is a public health physician at Yaba Local Council Development Area, was led in evidence by the state prosecutor, Mr Michael Adewoye.
The witness told the court that the survivor presented herself for a medical examination alongside her father on December 12, 2020.
According to her, the survivor narrated how the defendant, the pastor of Power of the Home Deliverance Ministry, allegedly had forceful penetration with her on five occasions.
She told Justice Hakeem Oshodi that the survivor and her father were referred from Owutu Police Station.
“The survivor is a visually impaired child and her father took her to the defendant for deliverance.
“She said the defendant gave her an unknown substance to drink after that, she could not remember anything but she was able to narrate to her father after he discovered a brownish discharge under her pants and interrogated her,” she said
The witness further told the court that the survivor had hyper-pigmentation around her face and some marks on her waist which the survivor told her were injuries sustained during deliverance.
“The survivor said the defendant beat her with banana leaves during deliverance and also scrubbed her back with salt. The medical examination findings were in keeping with forceful vagina penetration.
“The blood samples showed pregnancy test was negative but because of the sour on her body, I directed her to Domestic Sexual Violence Agency for counselling.
“At that time, she was depressed as she believed that she was the one that killed her mother and she was made to believe that her father was not progressing because of her.”
The prophet is facing a three-count of defilement, indecent treatment of a child and trial by ordeal.
According to the prosecution, the offences committed contravened Sections 128(b), 135, and 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
Justice Oshodi adjourned the case till April 17 for the continuation of trial.