Pastor, boyfriend, arrested for allegedly using apostle’s daughter for ritual

A 65-year-old pastor, Festus Adebayo, has been apprehended for his alleged involvement in ritual activities. The pastor was alleged to have used the menstrual pad of a lady, Miss Oluwasemilore Iluyomade, for rituals.

Adebayo was arrested alongside Gbemisola Olufusi, boyfriend of the lady, who is the daughter of an apostle. The arrest of the suspects was effected by men of the Ondo State Police Command following complaints from the family of the 20-year-old lady.

According to a source, the 24-year-old boyfriend had conspired with the pastor after which he collected the menstrual pad of his girlfriend with the intention of using it for rituals.

The source added that the incident happened in December 2019 in Ondo town, headquarters of Ondo West Local Government area of Ondo State. It was gathered that the victim became sick after months of the alleged ritual, raising the suspicion of her family.

Upon their suspicion, the father of the girl filed a complaint at the police station, Enuowa Division in Ondo town. According to the father of the victim, Apostle Festus Iluyomade, the alleged victim had been taken to the hospital severally with two major operations performed on her.

“When we noticed that some substance was coming out of my daughter’s body, we reported the case to the police after a series of prayers. We have done different operations and we are still carrying out tests.”

Following the complaints, the police started monitoring the pastor and the suspected ‘yahoo-boy’ who had not been in town for several months.

Confirming the arrest of the suspect, the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Tee-Leo Ikoro, said the case had been transferred to the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, SCIID, for further investigation.

Meanwhile, a group under the aegis of Women Empowerment and Legal Aid, led by Mrs Funmi Falana, wife of the Lagos human rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN), has petitioned the Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, Mr Babatubde Mobayo, over alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl in the state.

The group, in a petition dated August 11, 2020 and addressed to the CP, alleged that the girl, a groundnut hawker, was sexually molested by a commercial motorcyclist in Ado Ekiti metropolis.

The petition, signed by a legal practitioner, Taiwo Omidoyin of Falana & Falana Chamber, revealed that the victim was allegedly raped inside a bush within the vicinity of the state secretariat, Ado Ekiti, while hawking groundnut on August 10.

According to the petition, the teenager was approached by the motorcyclist, promising to give her a ride to a waiting customer, but allegedly took the victim to a strange location, where he molested the girl sexually.

“It was some neighbours who heard the noise of our victim that rushed to the scene, got hold of the perpetrator and handed him over to the police. We have heard that the perpetrator is being detained while our client is currently receiving treatment in the hospital.”

Falana said the petition was primarily targeted at urging the police to do a thorough investigation and ensure diligent prosecution of the culprit, to sanitise the state and rid it of prowling rapists. (The Guardian)