RCCG Pastor Cleared Of Defilement Charges As Court Faults Prosecution

A Lagos High Court sitting at the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has struck out defilement and sexual assault charges filed against Emmanuel Orekoya, a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

Justice Abiola Soladoye dismissed the case on Wednesday after berating the Lagos State prosecution team for failing to present any witnesses despite ten adjournments since the pastor was arraigned on February 26, 2024.

Describing the situation as a “colossal waste of time,” the judge said, “Justice delayed is justice denied,” noting that the repeated adjournments without any witness testimony amounted to a lack of diligent prosecution.

Prosecution Given Liberty To Restart Case

The judge however clarified that the prosecution remains free to revisit the matter. “The prosecution is at liberty to re-arrest the defendant and bring him back to court whenever they have assembled their witnesses,” Justice Soladoye ruled.

Background Of The Allegations

Pastor Orekoya was accused of sexually assaulting his 17-year-old daughter in 2017 at their home on Jacob Adeleye Street, Odoeran, Itire, Surulere. The charges, filed under Sections 137 and 162 of the Lagos Criminal Law (2015), alleged that he inserted his penis into the teenager’s mouth.

The cleric, who maintained his innocence, had pleaded not guilty when initially arraigned.