Court sentences pastor of Winners Chapter to life imprisonment for raping a minor

A High Court in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced the pastor of Winners Chapel Church in Omuo-Ekiti, Enoch Gbinyiam, to life imprisonment for raping a minor on the premises of his church.

State prosecutor Julius Ajiba told the court that Gbinyiam committed the crime against the daughter of a church member who frequently visited the rectory to help with household chores and teach the pastor’s children.

According to Ajiba, during one of her visits, the victim was offered a bottle of Fanta containing sedatives. After consuming it, she lost consciousness and later woke up with heavy vaginal bleeding.

The heinous act led to the pastor’s immediate arrest and subsequent trial.

The prosecution successfully conducted the case by calling four witnesses and presenting two pieces of evidence, while Gbinyiam, represented by his lawyer Adeyinka Opaleke, maintained his innocence and presented one witness in his defence.

The presiding judge, Honourable Justice OIO Ogunyemi, found that the prosecution had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt and convincingly, leading to Gbinyiam’s conviction.

The judge ruled that Gbinyiam’s actions constituted a breach of Section 2 of the Gender-Based Violence Prohibition Act 2019 and warranted a life sentence in a reformatory.