Bishop remanded in Kirikiri for raping two church members

Bishop Feyi, also known as Daniel Oluwafeyiropo, was remanded on Monday by an Ikeja Sexual Offenses and Domestic Violence Court after allegations that he raped two churchgoers (names withheld).

The founder of "I Reign Christian Ministries" was detained by Justice Ramon Oshodi to Kirikiri Correctional Facility awaiting the completion of his bail requirements.

The defendant was given a N20 million bail with two sureties in the same amount by Oshodi.

According to him, one of the sureties must be the owner of a building in Lagos State, and the value of the building must be sufficient to pay the bail amount.

“The original document of the landed property must be submitted to the chief registrar of Lagos State.

“The sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and must have three years’ tax payment to the Lagos State,” he said.

The judge also mandated an expedited hearing of the case and required the defendant to leave his foreign passport with the chief registrar of the court.

Oshodi set a trial date of May 9 for the case.

Earlier, Mr. Olukunle Oyewole, the defence attorney, pleaded with the court to give the defendant bail under lenient conditions in his motion requesting bail dated April 10.

Oyewole stated that the defendant has cooperated with the police while on administrative bail since May 20, 2023.

“My lord, the defendant was not informed on the day the matter came up for the first time before this court.

“The defendant is a well-known religious leader and he has shown by his action that he will not jump bail.

“The offence for which he is charged is a bailable offence and he has credible sureties that can stand for him,” he said.

In his counter-affidavit dated April 14, the state's lead prosecutor, Mr. Babjide Boye, urged the court to deny the defendant's bail motion but left it up to the court's discretion.

Nonetheless, Boye stated that the offence was serious and that the possibility of conviction might make the defendant flee the country.

“There is also a possibility of the defendant interfering with the prosecution witnesses.

“He is a bishop of so many branches and if granted bail, he may use his position to influence the prosecution witnesses as he is regarded as a man of authority who has the possibility of committing the same crime.

“We urge the court to deny the defendant bail because he has failed to provide the court exceptional circumstances to grant him bail,” the prosecutor submitted.

Bishop Feyi has already been charged with two counts of rape-related offences.

He, however, entered a not-guilty plea to the accusation.

The defendant is accused of committing the offences in Ikota Villa Estate in Lekki, Lagos, sometime in June 2020, according to the prosecution.

The prosecution claims that the accused offence violated Section 260 (2) of the Lagos State Criminal Code, 2015.