Clerics of Celestial Church of Christ arraigned for rape,  abuse of  dead bodies

IKEJA, Lagos – The Lagos State Government on today re-arraigned three clerics of the Celestial Church of Christ  at an Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court on an eight-count charge of rape and abusing the corpses of members.

The clerics, Jacob Farinmade, Abraham Olujobi and Olatunde Taiwo  all pleaded not guilty to  three  charges  of conspiracy and misconduct with regards to a corpse. While Farinmade plead not guilty to a five count of rape, unlawful detention and unlawful burial in a house.

According to the lead state prosecutor, Mr Olusola Soneye, the defendants who were in charge of the Celestial Church of Christ Gospel Mission at No. 15/23 Pipeline Street, Ipaja, Lagos committed the offences in 2015 in Lagos.

“The defendants sometime in 2015, indecently cut open the corpse of Deborah Elijah for the purpose of separating her from her foetus prior to burial. They treated the corpse of one Olubunmi Saliu in an undignified manner by burying her in a shallow grave in the church premises,” he said.

Soneye said that Farinmade while being the reverend in charge of the church, raped three women (names withheld) and unlawfully detained one of the women.

“Farinmade also authorised the burial of Deborah Elijah in an adjourning land at the Celestial Church Gospel Mission without the relevant consent of the Local Government Authority,” he said. The offences contravene Sections 144, 165,  260 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2015.

The prosecutor said 13 witnesses are set to testify against the clerics on behalf of the prosecution. Justice Abiola Soladoye ordered that the clerics continue to be remanded at the Kirikiri Maximum Correctional Center and adjourned the case until Dec. 16 for trial.