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ILORIN, Nigeria — A Nigerian high court on Wednesday sentenced the founder of a church to life in prison after convicting him of raping underage members of his congregation and illegally terminating pregnancies resulting from the assaults.
Justice Hammed Aliyu Gegele of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin ruled that Ajiboye Abayomi Olayinka, who served as the General Overseer of the Mission House of Divine Land of Joy and Prayer Ministry, exploited his religious authority to commit multiple acts of unlawful sexual intercourse and to procure illegal abortions. The crimes took place inside the church’s mission house in the Agah area of Ganmo, where Olayinka operated as a spiritual leader.
“The cleric abused his position of authority and subjected the victims to physical and emotional trauma,” Justice Gegele said in his judgment.
During the trial, the court heard that one survivor testified she was taken to an isolated part of the church premises and sexually assaulted. The judge noted that victims were coerced into swearing oaths of silence on the Bible and were threatened with death if they ever disclosed the abuse.
In addition to the life sentence for the sexual offences, Olayinka was handed a 14-year prison term for illegally aborting pregnancies connected to the assaults. The sentences are to run concurrently.
The prosecution, which called 12 witnesses and submitted multiple exhibits, charged the pastor with an eight-count indictment that included criminal conspiracy, unlawful sexual intercourse, illegal abortion, and unlawful possession of firearms. While the court found the charges of sexual assault and illegal abortion proven beyond reasonable doubt, it acquitted Olayinka on a separate count of bigamy, ruling that the state had failed to establish that charge.
Justice Gegele also ordered the forfeiture of a pump-action rifle recovered from the defendant to the Federal Government.
Under Nigerian criminal law, sexual intercourse with a minor constitutes rape and carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Wednesday’s judgment adds to a growing body of jurisprudence in which courts are handing down severe sentences for sexual violence committed by figures of religious authority.
