A 45-year-old Nigerian pastor, Ndukwe Ogbu has been sentenced to 53 years in prison by the Lagos State S3xual Offenses Court in Ikeja.
The cleric was found guilty of defiling and s3xually assaulting his 14-year-old daughter.
Judge Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe declared that all of the elements of the charges against Ogbu had been proven by the prosecution beyond a reasonable doubt.
During sentencing, on Monday, June 30, 2025, the judge held, “The evidence presented leaves no room for doubt. The convict’s actions are reprehensible, and justice must be served.”
When the convict prayed for the court to temper justice with mercy and explained that he had other children to care for, the judge observed that he showed no remorse or apologies for the crime he had committed against his daughter. The judge convicted him of the three charges the Lagos State government had filed against him.
Three charges, including defilement of a 14-year-old girl, s3xual assault by penetration, and assault by bordering on s3xual assault, were brought against Ogbu by the state.
The trial started on October 18, 2021, after Ogbu was arraigned sometime in February 2021.
During the trial, the prosecution called three witnesses and presented exhibits. The first prosecution witness was a social worker, Femi Oyeleke, who reported the case to the police.
The second prosecution witness was the victim of the alleged s3xual offences, while the doctor who examined the girl testified against the convict. The victim in her testimony identified the convict as her father and narrated to Justice Abike-Fadipe that she was 14 years old when the incident started.
While describing the abuse in her testimony, she told the court that her father would come into her room naked, remove her clothes, and force himself on her.
She said he threatened her not to tell anyone.
“He would come into my room naked, remove my clothes, and force himself on me. He threatened me not to tell anyone.”
The victim also explained how she confided in her schoolteacher, who then alerted the social worker and the social worker, in turn, reported to the police.
The doctor who examined her also testified, corroborating her account. She told the court that her father had s3xual intercourse with her on several occasions, and threatened her not to tell anybody.
In his defence, Ogbu denied the allegations, claiming, “I was not at home when these things happened.”
He admitted living with the victim in a two-bedroom apartment but insisted she was mentally unstable and forgetful.
The convict also confirmed that he lost his wife when the children were small and that the other children live in the village with their maternal grandmother, but it’s been a long time since he spoke to them.
However, while delivering the judgment, Justice Abike-Fadipe held that the testimony of the doctor and the social worker corroborated the testimony of the victim.
“The victim was 15 years old when the alleged offence was committed. Exhibit P1 states the age of the witness, and the failure of the defence to cross-examine the witness as regards the age of the victim.
The judge, therefore, found him guilty as charged and sentenced him to three years on count one.
He was also sentenced to 25 years on count two, while another 25 years on count three, totalling 53 years imprisonment to run concurrently.
She ordered that the prison term should begin from December 2019, when he was first remanded in prison.
