Wicked Lagos Pastor Ogbu Jailed 25-Year For Defiling Teenage Daughter

In a chilling case that has shaken Ikeja, a 45-year-old pastor, Ndukwe Ogbu, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Monday for the heinous defilement of his 14-year-old daughter.

The verdict, delivered by Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe at the Ikeja Special Offences Court, exposed a father’s betrayal, as the court found Ogbu guilty on three counts of defilement, sexual assault, and sexual assault by penetration.

The prosecution, led by the Lagos State Government, presented a watertight case, with Justice Abike-Fadipe ruling that the evidence was undeniable.

“Based on the evidence presented before the court, the defendant is found guilty on all three counts. He is sentenced to three years on count one. On counts two and three, he is sentenced to 25 years each. The sentences shall run concurrently and will be effective from December 2019, when he was remanded in custody,” the judge declared.

Ogbu’s plea for mercy, citing his other children, fell flat as the judge noted his lack of remorse.

The survivor’s harrowing testimony gripped the courtroom. Identifying Ogbu as her father, she recounted how the abuse began at 14, with her father subjecting her to repeated sexual assaults and threatening her into silence.

“She told the court that her father had sexual intercourse with her on several occasions and threatened her not to tell anybody,” the prosecution revealed.

Her courage in confiding in a schoolteacher led to social worker Femi Oyeleke reporting the case to the police, triggering Ogbu’s arrest.

Oyeleke, the first prosecution witness, alongside a medical doctor, provided corroborating evidence that sealed Ogbu’s fate.

The trial, which began on October 18, 2021, after Ogbu’s arraignment in February 2021, saw three witnesses and key exhibits dismantle the pastor’s defense.

Ogbu, testifying as his sole defence witness, denied the allegations, claiming he was not home during the alleged incidents.

Yet, he admitted living in the same apartment as his daughter, who had her own room, and confirmed his wife’s death, leaving his other children with their grandmother in the village.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the court dismissed Ogbu’s denials, with medical and social worker testimonies aligning with the survivor’s account.

NAN