Prophet in court for allegedly sodomising teenage boys

• Woman faces banishment for exposing how husband raped daughter
A prophet of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Seyi Adelana, was yesterday arraigned at an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court for allegedly sodomising two teenage boys. Adelana, who resides at No. 11, Itumaro St., Igbobo, Ikorodu, is facing a two-count charge bordering on sexual assault. He, however, pleaded not guilty.

According to the state prosecutor, Mrs Arinola Momoh-Ayokanbi, Adelana committed the offences from June 2018 to January 2019 at his residence. Momoh-Ayokanbi said the defendant lured the boys with cash gifts before sexually assaulting them.

“The defendant sexually assaulted the complainants (names withheld) by having anal sex with them. He sexually assaulted the first complainant, an 18-year-old makeup artist, from June to November 2018. The second complainant, a 17-year-old trader was sexually assaulted from November 2018 to January 2019,” she said.

The prosecutor said the defendant was arrested after the second complainant told his mother what had happened. The offences contravene Section 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2015.

Justice Abiola Soladoye ordered that the defendant should be remanded at a correctional center. Soladoye then adjourned the case until April 22, for trial.

Meanwhile, a woman in Delta State, Grace Eze, may be banished from her community after she exposed her husband for allegedly raping their teenage daughter.

Grace, from Okwe, in Asaba, Delta state, has been asked by the community leaders to present N10,000, a ‘she-goat’ and ‘he-goat’, bottles of beer, bottles of stout, malt drink, kola nuts, and a palm front, for the “cleansing of the land” or risk being banished from the community.

The Guardian learnt that Grace’s husband, Michael Eze, 42, was arraigned in 2019 by the police for allegedly drugging and raped his daughter who was 14 years old daughter, which led to pregnancy.

It was gathered that Eze is in prison custody and the community leaders are insisting that the wife must pay for the “cleansing of the land” because of her husband’s ‘sin’.

But a non-governmental organization, Behind Bars Rights Foundation who prompted a police investigation into the rape allegation, kicked against the action of the community leaders.

In an open letter signed by the Director General of the group, Harrison Gwamnishu, to Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Delta State, Barr Peter Mrakpor and Chairman Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers, His Royal Majesty Emmanuel Efeizomo II, they called for urgent intervention in the matter.

“Mrs. Grace Eze’s husband raped their 14 years old daughter sometime ago and the said rape led to the said daughter’s pregnancy. The pregnancy was aborted at the instance of Mrs Eze’s husband in a bid to cover-up his iniquitous acts.

When Mrs. Grace Eze found out about the crime her husband had committed, especially in view of the sensitive nature as it involved the rape of a minor, it became imperative for detailed investigation, especially medical investigations, etc, in a bid to ensure that the victim was free from any medical conditions; and indeed that the culprit faces the law for the embarrassment he had brought to his family and entire Deltans.

“Flowing from the foregoing facts, Mrs. Grace Eze first reported the matter to husband relatives and Behind Bars Human Rights Foundation reported to the Police, in fulfilment of our constitutional duty to report the suspected commission of crimes, and in a bid to secure professional guidance for a detailed medical investigation of her daughter’s health and emotional status.

“We were extremely embarrassed and disappointed when we found out that some community leaders had summoned Mrs Grace Eze and gave her a list of items to compulsorily provide to “cleanse the land” because she reported her husband to the human rights and sought help for her daughter. The said list of items is herein annexed to this letter for your kind perusal.”