Lagos Court Sentences ‘Pastor’ to 25 Years for Abusing Teenage Daughter

Man Claiming to Be Pastor Gets 25-Year Jail Term for Assaulting His Daughter

A 45-year-old man, Ndukwe Ogbu, who presented himself as a pastor, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos for repeatedly sexually abusing his 14-year-old biological daughter.

Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe delivered the ruling, stating that the Lagos State prosecution had proven the charges of defilement, sexual assault, and penetration beyond a reasonable doubt.

The conviction was based on compelling testimonies from the survivor, a medical expert, and a social worker—all of whom confirmed the victim’s account.

During the sentencing, the judge pointed out the convict’s lack of remorse, noting that his plea for mercy centered on the fact that he had other children to care for.

“The evidence supports a guilty verdict on all three counts,” the judge said. “The defendant is sentenced to three years on count one and 25 years each on counts two and three, to run concurrently from December 2019, the date of his initial remand.”

The Lagos State Government filed charges against Ogbu in February 2021, and the trial commenced in October the same year. Three prosecution witnesses testified: the victim, a social worker, and a medical doctor. Ogbu was the sole witness for the defense.

Social worker Femi Oyeleke explained that the abuse came to light when the girl confided in a schoolteacher, who reported the matter to the authorities. The survivor later detailed how the abuse began at age 14 and how she was warned not to tell anyone until she eventually opened up at school.

Ogbu denied the allegations, claiming he was not home during the incidents described by his daughter. He admitted they lived in the same apartment but said she had her room. He also told the court his wife died while their children were still young, and that the others lived with their maternal grandmother in the village.