A bishop named Oluwafeyiropo Daniel, who was charged with raping two of his church pastors (names withheld), was granted bail on Monday by the Ikeja Sexual Offenses and Domestic Violence Court.
However, until he can fulfill the terms of his bail, Justice Ramon Oshodi placed Oluwafeyiropo, the founder of I Reign Christian Ministry, in Kirikiri Correctional Facility.
The defendant was given a bail of N20m with two sureties in the same amount.
One of the sureties, according to Justice Oshodi, must be the owner of real estate in Lagos State, and the value of the real estate must be sufficient to pay the bail amount.
“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 mandated an expedited hearing in the case and directed the defendant to leave his passport with the chief registrar of the court.
Earlier, the defendant’s attorney, Mr. Olukunle Oyewole, pleaded with the court to grant him bail under lenient conditions when he moved his bail application dated April 10.
Oyewole argued that the defendant had made himself available to the police and had been out on administrative bail with the police since March 20, 2023.
“The defendant is a well-known religious leader and he has shown by his action that he will not jump bail.
“The offense for which he is charged is a bailable offense and he has credible sureties that can stand for him,” he said.
In his counter-affidavit dated April 14, the state’s attorney for prosecution, Mr. Babjide Boye, urged the court to deny the defendant’s bail request but left it up to the court’s discretion.
Boye further said that the crime was serious and that the possibility of a conviction may make the defendant fleeing dangerous.
There’s also a chance the defendant might try to influence the prosecution’s witnesses, he added.
“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.”
Earlier, Daniel was charged with two counts of rape-related offenses.
According to the prosecutor, the defendant is accused of committing the crime in Ikota Villa Estate in Lekki, Lagos, sometime in June 2020.
The prosecution claims that the crime committed violated Section 260 (2) of the Lagos State Criminal Laws, 2015.
He entered a not guilty plea to the state’s case that was brought against him.
Trial in the case was postponed until May 9.
On April 4, Propolitics had reported that Daniel’s scheduled arraignment had been postponed because he had failed to appear in court.
Justice Ramon Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offenses Court, Ikeja, heard the case, which was ranked as case number four on the court’s case list.
However, Mrs. Inumidun Solarin, the police prosecutor, told the court that the defendant was not present.
She mentioned that the police at the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Alagbon, Ikoyi, had released Daniel on bail.
She alleged that the investigating police officer, ASP Yemi Temenu, stated that it was established that he had moved when the police went to his home in Ikota, Lekki.
She asked for a break, stating that the pastor was attending a church event in Abuja.
The case was then postponed until April 17, 2023.
