Bishop Bags Life Jail For Raping Church Member

As a result of his involvement in the rape of a church member, a Lagos-based Bishop and Founder of iReign Christian Ministry, Feyi Daniels, was on Friday, January 26, 2024, sentenced to life imprisonment.

Bishop Daniels was sent to life in jail by Justice Rahman Oshodi of an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court after being found guilty of rape as made against him by the Lagos State Government (LASG).

Justice Oshodi also sentenced the clergyman to three years imprisonment for the offence of sexual assault of two members of his church.

The sentences, according to Justice Oshodi, are to run concurrently and the name of the Bishop is to be registered in the Sexual Offenders Register as maintained by the LASG.

In the course of the trial, the convicted preacher had posited that he believed three out of the four women who accused him of sexually assaulting them conspired to turn against him.

Specifically, during cross-examination, the convicted Bishop had denied giving money to one of the women for treatment. This, he said, while responding to whether he had a ‘personal relationship’ with the four women, even as he refuted the allegation that he had counselled one of the women, giving a sum of N100,000 to another for hospital treatment, paid school fees for a third, and related with a fourth as a leader in the campus fellowship affiliated with his ministry at Akungba-Akoko in Ondo State.

The jailed cleric had stated: “I believe all three ladies turned against me, but not (name withheld) because she later apologized to me.”

Bishop Daniels also refuted the allegation that he had used his position as a Pastor to manipulate individuals who came to him for counselling.

The LASG had on April 17, 2023, docked the clergyman on two counts bordering on having sexual intercourse with two of his church members.

Bishop Daniels pleaded not guilty to the charge, with the prosecution insisting that the convicted Bishop committed the offence in June 2020 within the Ikota Villa Estate in Lekki, Lagos.

The state government also insisted that the offence contravene Sections 260 (2) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos 2015.

Handing down his judgment, Justice Oshodi held that he believed the testimony of the complainant as well as other witnesses who gave direct evidence which wasn’t contradicted at any point during the trial, despite the denials of the defendant.

Justice Oshodi also declared that the prosecution had successfully proven all the ingredients of rape under Section 260(2) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

The judge, however, discharged the defendant of a second count of allegedly raping another church member at his home in 2020.

In arriving at his decision, Justice Oshodi declared that the prosecution failed to prove the elements of the use of force, fear of harm by the complainant and misrepresentation by the defendant to establish guilt in the offence of rape beyond all reasonable doubt.

Justice Oshodi directed that the defendant should serve his jail term at the Kirikiri Maximum Facility, where he is currently being detained.

“The cleric used his dominant character and position to sexually violate two members of his church.

“Rape carries a mandatory life imprisonment and sexual assault carries a jail term of three years, which can’t alleviate the harm to your victims,” Justice Oshodi said.

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