Pastor Feyi Daniels, the founder of iReign Christian Ministry, will spend the rest of his days in prison for raping a female member of his church. The Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence court sentenced him to life imprisonment on Friday, after finding him guilty of rape and sexual assault.
The judge, Rahman Oshodi, said the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Daniels violated a 19-year-old church member and a 23-year-old assistant. He said Daniels was a liar and had no respect for the truth.
Daniels, who claimed to be a bishop, denied the charges and said he was framed by three of the four women who accused him of sexual abuse. He said he only had a personal relationship with one of them, who later apologised to him.
He said he did not know why the women accused him of sexual offences, and that he did not manipulate anyone with his position as a pastor. He said he was not a powerful man, but a humble servant of God.
He also said he did not tamper with the WhatsApp messages between him and one of the accusers, and that he did not give money to another for hospital treatment. He said he only paid school fees for one and mentored another as a campus fellowship leader.
The prosecution, led by Babajide Boye, confronted Daniels with four statements he allegedly wrote in police custody last year. Boye said the statements contradicted Daniels’ testimony and showed that he was lying.
The defence counsel, Adebayo Adegbite, objected to the statements, saying they were not voluntary and that Daniels signed them under pressure. He said the statements were a mix of confession and denial, and that they were written by the police.
But the judge overruled the objection and admitted the statements. He said the law allowed evidence obtained improperly to be used in court. He said the statements showed that Daniels was guilty of the offences.