ILORIN – Justice Hammed Aliyu Gegele of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has sentenced Prophet Ajiboye Abayomi Olayinka, the General Overseer of the Mission House of Divine Land of Joy and Prayer Ministry, to life imprisonment.
The landmark judgment, delivered on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, followed the conviction of the 47-year-old cleric on multiple counts involving the systematic sexual abuse of underage members of his congregation and the procurement of illegal abortions.
A Sanctuary Turned Crime Scene
The prosecution successfully argued that Olayinka transformed his church mission house, located in the Agah area of Ganmo, into a site of predatory behavior. The court heard harrowing testimonies from victims who described how the cleric leveraged his “spiritual authority” to silence them.
In one graphic account cited by Justice Gegele, a victim detailed how she was taken to the church’s generator house, where the convict used “anointing oil” as a lubricant to forcefully have carnal knowledge of her. Other survivors testified to being woken up after night vigils for “rounds of sex.”
Oaths of Secrecy and Death Threats
To ensure the longevity of his crimes, the court found that Olayinka forced his victims to swear oaths of secrecy using the Bible, threatening them with divine retribution or physical death if the abuse was ever disclosed.
Beyond the life sentence for rape, Justice Gegele sentenced the cleric to an additional 14 years imprisonment for his role in performing illegal abortions on victims who became pregnant as a result of the assaults.
Verdict and Forfeiture
While the prosecution, led by state counsel, presented 12 witnesses and a litany of forensic and physical exhibits, the court discharged the defendant on a count of bigamy, ruling that the state failed to provide sufficient evidence for that specific charge. However, Olayinka was found guilty on the core charges of:
- Unlawful sexual intercourse with minors
- Rape
- Illegal abortion
- Unlawful possession of firearms
Regarding the latter, the court ordered the permanent forfeiture of a pump-action gun recovered from the Prophet’s residence to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Justice Served
In his closing remarks, Justice Gegele noted that the cleric’s actions were a gross betrayal of the trust placed in religious leaders. He emphasized that the severity of the sentence reflects the physical and emotional trauma inflicted upon the survivors, some of whom have lived under the shadow of his threats for years.
The convict has been moved to the Ilorin Custodial Centre to begin his life term.
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