A Lagos-based pastor and legal practitioner, Aka-Bashorun Olawale Akanni, was on Wednesday re-arraigned before Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, for allegedly molesting a 14-year-old girl.
Akanni, who also serves as a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), faces a one-count charge of indecent treatment of a child filed by the Lagos State Government.
According to the charge, the defendant allegedly fondled the breasts of the minor in the Iwaya area of Lagos, an offence said to contravene Section 135 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The prosecution counsel, Funmilola Aluko, told the court that the accused acted unlawfully by touching the victim indecently.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Following the plea, defence counsel, Morenikeji Oyekunle, urged the court to allow her client to continue on the bail earlier granted by a Magistrate’s Court, arguing that he had met all conditions and was not a flight risk, being both a lawyer and clergyman.
Aluko opposed the application, asking the court to review the terms of bail.
However, Justice Oshodi upheld the previous bail conditions and ordered the defence counsel to ensure the defendant’s attendance at subsequent hearings.
During the proceedings, the prosecution called its first witness—the complainant, now 27 years old—who testified that she met the defendant through her father, a member of the RCCG parish on Lagos Island.
She recalled that in 2010, at the age of eight, she moved in with the defendant’s family to improve her academics and participate in the church choir.
However, she alleged that the defendant began to molest her sexually and physically, adding that he would punish her severely whenever she performed poorly in school.
The witness said she eventually fled from the defendant’s home and informed her parents about the abuse.
She explained that she decided to lodge a formal complaint in 2023 after learning of a similar incident involving another minor in the same church.
Under cross-examination, she testified that she had first confided in her class teacher, identified as Mrs. Akingbeoyewa, while still living with the defendant.
At the end of her testimony, the defence sought an adjournment to obtain a Certified True Copy of her evidence. The prosecution objected, arguing that further delay could cause emotional distress to the witness.
Justice Oshodi granted the adjournment but invoked Section 193 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, imposing a cost of ₦50,000 on the defence, payable to the witness before the next trial date.
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The case was adjourned to December 9, 2025, for continuation of trial.
