The founder of Sotitobire Praising Chapel, Prophet Babatunde Alfa, and six others were on Tuesday, October 6, sentenced to life imprisonment after a one-year-old kid Kolawole Gold was declared missing.
Prophet Babatunde was jailed on Tuesday by Justice Olusegun Odusola of the Ondo State High Court, Akure.
The Child ‘Kolawole’ was one-year-old at that time of his disappearance from the church in Akure.
He went missing on November 10 during a Sunday service after his mother, Modupe Kolawole, dropped him at the children’s unit of the church.
Babatunde was arrested alongside six other defendants including Omodara Olayinka, Margaret Oyebola, Grace Ogunjobi, Egunjobi Motunrayo, Esther Kayode and Peter Anjorin, and were subsequently arraigned before a magistrate court on 6 counts
The matter was later transferred to the Ondo state High Court.
Justice Odusola of the State high court condemned in strong terms the complicity, compromise and lackadaisical attitude of the Ondo State Police command after Kolawole went missing, an incident that led to the burning of the church.
Prophet Babatunde was arrested on December 10, 2019 by the Department of the State Services following a petition by parents of the missing child.
Delivering his judgment in the case today Tuesday, October 6, Justice Odusola said based on the evidence provided by the prosecution team, the clergyman and the six others were found guilty of two counts of kidnapping, and aiding and abetting to kidnap. He thereafter sentenced them to life imprisonment.
(C) Control TV 2020.
