Alleged Rape: Documents Submitted By Victims Of Popular Lagos Bishop Missing …. As Accused Is Yet To Meet Bail Conditions

The documents submitted by the victims of Bishop Oluwafeyiropo Daniel, of I Reign Christian Ministry, Lekki, Lagos, who was accused of raping his members, are said to be missing, just as the Bishop is yet to meet his bail conditions one week after his arrest by the police.

One of the two girls allegedly raped by Daniel said that some of the evidence she submitted to the police were missing from the case file.

The victim said voice recordings, pictures, statements of some witnesses and the petition her lawyer sent to the police, were not in the case file.

She said, “We had a meeting with the prosecutors (after the arraignment) and they wanted to confirm the evidence we had. I told them some of the evidence I had and they asked why I did not give them to the police at the FCID. I said I did and asked if the voice recordings were not in the file and they said no.

“We gave the police a burnt disc and flash drive; the FCID said they were sufficient evidence. We paid for search warrants twice, both at the hospital and at his house, but there was no report of their search.

“The police also went to the hospital he (Daniel) took me to. They travelled down to investigate the doctor, but the report was not there. They came back and said the doctor confirmed I was in the hospital and they recorded some things and got some things from the doctor. The report of what happened was not in the file. What they have in the file are just chats and witnesses’ statements.”

The former assistant pastor said the case might have been compromised.

However, the spokesperson for the FCID, Niyi Ogundeyi, denied the allegations, saying due diligence was done in the matter.

He said, “Nothing can be removed. She is just saying what she does not know. Presently, the case file is with the DPP, and they will analyse the case and call the IPO for further investigations and clarifications. A retired AIG (at the FCID) personally called the police prosecutor on the strength of available evidence. The police have been diligent in building a strong case. With the evidence on ground, the man cannot go scot-free.”

The Bishop is also yet to meet his bail conditions, according to report.

Recall that as at Sunday April 23, he has spent one week in detention after he was remanded by Justice Ramon Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja.

The pastor was supposed to appear before the court on Monday, April 3, when the case came up for arraignment, but he was absent.

The police prosecutor, Mrs Inumidun Solarin, said the Investigating Police Officer, ASP Yemi Temenu, informed her that Daniel was not found at the address he left at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, before he was granted administrative bail.

The court adjourned the arraignment till April 17, as Solarin promised to ensure Daniel’s presence in court.

Upon the resumption of the court last Monday, Daniel was formally arraigned on two counts of rape.

He was granted bail in the sum of N20m with two sureties, who must own property within the jurisdiction of the court.

Justice Oshodi also ordered Daniel to submit his passport and adjourned the matter till May 9 for trial.

The cleric was thereafter remanded in the Kirikiri Custodial Centre pending the perfection of his bail conditions.

A source at the Nigerian Correctional Service, Lagos State Command said that Daniel had yet to perfect his bail conditions.

“He is still in custody,” the source said.

Recall that Daniel’s case has been on since 2022, when the matter was at the FCID, Alagbon, Ikoyi, where two of the victims reported their ordeals.

One of them was an assistant pastor of the Ondo branch of the church.

The case file was transferred to the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions, where legal advice was issued on December 16, 2022.

The advice stated in part, “Facts from the duplicate case file revealed.that the suspect, Oluwafeyiropo Daniel, is a Pastor and the founder of I Reign Christian Ministry; that he had a church branch in Akungba Akoko (Ondo) where he had young people as pastors and assistant pastors. It is also revealed that Oluwafeyiropo Daniel invites the branch pastors and assistants to his house from time for one reason or the other.

“It is revealed that Oluwafeyiropo Daniel having presented himself as his victims’ spiritual father whom they must be loyal to and must never hide anything from, including their bodies, lured the complainant and his other victim into having sexual intercourse with him.”

After the publication of the legal advice on March 18, 2023, the Lagos judiciary assigned the case to Justice Ramon in April 2023, leading to the prosecution of Daniel.

Daniel has continued to deny the allegations.

Daniels was dragged before magistrate Muhammad Ibrahim, on the offences of obtaining property by false pretences, impersonation, injurious falsehood, criminal force on a woman with intent to outage modesty contrary to section 1 (1) (a) (c) of advance fee fraud and other fraud related offences act 2006 and sections 179, 393, 397, 273, 273, and 261 of penal code law.

The Bishop according to Police First Information Report (FIR), met the lady on social media and invited her to his residence in Lekki, Lagos State which she obliged.

The police report added that Oluwafeyiropo allegedly kept her in confinement where he reportedly sexually and severally abused her.
Under the disguise of providing spiritual assistance, the Bishop was said to have lured her into parting with sums of money.

The FIR further revealed that the lady was able to escape to Ilorin from Bishop’s net through the assistance of one Pastor Busayo Komolafe.

Following the police report, the fake Bishop was said to be threatening and intimidating the victim and the pastor who aided her escape from his custody.
The Bishop, who is the defendant, was said to have been able to perpetrate his act by presenting himself as spiritual representative of renowned late Prophet David Olulana Babajide, the patriarch of Christ Apostolic Church Worldwide and founder of Babajide School of Prophets and Evangelist, in Ilesa, Osun State.
The defendant was also said to have deceitfully and fraudulently induced Pastor Busayo Akomolafe to part with his Toyota Highlander Jeep valued at about N1m.

He was ordered to be remanded in the correctional service by Magistrate Ibrahim after the argument of the prosecutor, Yusuf Nasir, was taken and the case was adjourned to 7th January, 2020.

In June 2022, Bishop Daniels was also accused of raping an assistant female pastor at his house in the Lekki area of the state.

The victim alleged that Daniels, who is married with children, raped her on two separate occasions, adding that she bled during the incident.

It was gathered that the victim, who was based outside Lagos, was summoned to the Lagos headquarters of the church where the incident happened.

She said, “He wanted me to attend a meeting and the date clashed with my brother’s wedding. So, I didn’t attend the meeting and as punishment, he ordered church members at my branch not to celebrate my birthday and instructed me to report to the church’s headquarters in Lagos for punishment.

“So, I went to his house in Lekki for the punishment and when I got there, he said I should strip naked because he wanted to beat me. He was alone at home. He saw that I was shocked at his statement and started making me feel guilty.

“He said his spiritual father tested him in many areas and after hours of contemplating, he became angry that I disobeyed him. So, I went into the guest room, took off my clothes and closed my eyes as I came out to meet him. He told me not to close my eyes, and ordered me to kneel as he sat on a chair.

“He saw my nakedness and said he wanted to test my loyalty and was not having sex with me. He told me to put my clothes back and after wearing them, he told me to take them off again and I did. He later told me to go and not tell anyone, but after leaving his place, I told some of our senior church members.”

The victim said she returned home and after some time, Daniels called her to report at his residence over another incident.

She said, “So, while at his house, he told me he would punish me for an offence and said I should transcribe the messages in one of his teachings. The next day, the pastor of the branch in Ibadan and his wife whom I met at his residence the previous day left, so I was alone in the house with Bishop Daniels.

“So, while in the sitting room with him, he attempted to kiss me and I stopped him; then he slapped me. He was angry and said the last time he told me to go naked, he didn’t do anything with me. So, he left and I went into the room to sleep.

“The following day, we were in the sitting room listening to a pastor’s message when he said I should go naked again. I did, and surprisingly, he also went naked and raped me for about 30 minutes till I started bleeding because of the tears I sustained despite not being a virgin.

“The incident happened around 10pm; I was dumbfounded. He told me to go inside the room to clean up myself and before I returned, he had cleaned up the blood on the floor. He told me not to tell anyone, but I told a pastor in my church.”

The victim said Daniels did not allow her to leave his house, adding that when he attempted raping her the following night, she pleaded with him that she was tired.

The 22-year-old said, “In the morning, I greeted him, but he didn’t answer. Later, he started saying I should be privileged that he had that kind of thing with me. All of a sudden, he took off my clothes and raped me again and I still bled the second time. It was traumatic for me.

“He told me to go to the bathroom to wash and he cleaned the blood before I came out. I picked up my phone, informed the pastor of my branch and another church member of our branch, who decided to come to the pastor’s house.

“Bishop Daniels started begging me and said he never knew what came over him. When the church member came, I wanted to follow her out to tell her the story, but he prevented me from leaving the house. I later left his house but while thinking about the incident, I felt suicidal.

“I stopped going to the church and my branch has been closed down. I reported the incident to the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon, in 2020. But the investigating police officer, one inspector Samuel, told me to bring N70,000 if I wanted him arrested.

“I did not have that money and had to stop going to the station. Bishop Daniels started sending people to beg me, but I just moved on. Recently, two other victims reached out to me that Bishop Daniels attempted to have sex with them and I got someone ready to sponsor my case.

“So, I instituted the case again last month at the FCID Alagbon and he was arrested last week. I want justice, but the police have yet to charge him to court even after I gave them all my evidence, including how he was threatening me over the case and how his wife was begging me.”

Contacted to get his reaction regarding the victim’s allegations, Daniels said, “I don’t know or have any pastor with the name you gave me. If you want to publish an article, I will be glad to make money.”

However, in one of the audio recordings, the bishop was heard telling her that they should commit sin together.

In another audio, the victim was heard crying as she challenged the bishop for telling someone that she wanted sex with him and he did it.

Responding, Daniels, in the audio said, “Don’t say that to anybody, I have not even been talking to anybody.”