Court Remands Lagos Cleric For Allegedly R3ping Woman

Abraham Olaluwoye, the pastor of a Pentecostal church in Onipanu, Lagos, has been placed under remand at a correctional facility on suspicion of r@ping a 27-year-old woman (name withheld).

Punch claims that the woman said that the event occurred on September 16, 2024, when the clergyman invited her to the church so he could assist her in finding a job.

“When I told my parents and brother, they said I shouldn’t go. That Monday afternoon, when I was going to fetch water I saw pastor Abraham and I greeted him and went my way, but later I saw his missed calls on my phone,” she narrated.

“When I called him back, I told him I was busy, but he ordered me to come to his office right now that he had found a job for me. When I got there, I went to his school office and I saw a church member there. When the pastor came in, he started to talk to me about another thing that he had been watching me and he likes me.

“I told him I don’t date married men or pastors and that we should talk about the job he asked me to come for. He said he’d give me a scholarship, that he has known me since I was young. He asked the brother to go buy me a soft drink and meat, and he started to touch his genital. I felt uncomfortable and stood up to leave his office. Suddenly, he pushed me against the wall and r@ped me.”

Olaluwoye allegedly attempted to rape the woman a second time when she used the restroom in the office, but she fought him. He also allegedly attempted to give her N4,000, which she turned down.

The survivor claimed that even though the matter was submitted to Area “D” Police Command in Mushin on the second day, they eventually retracted it after requesting N100,000 in order to apprehend the perpetrator.

“We then reported at the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Agency and the case was charged to the court by the Gender Unit. Pastor Abraham has now been remanded in prison till November 5, 2024.”

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli