Ondo Pastor Jailed For Telling Lies |The Source

By Ayodele Oni

Pastor John Abiodun of a new generation Church in Ondo State will spend the next two years in prison, courtesy of an Akure High Court.

He was jailed by Justice Bode Adegbehingbe for telling lies, and publishing false allegation against a Church founder .

A lecturer at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, Prof Lanre Olu- Adeyemi was, however, lucky as he was let off the hook by the court.

Abiodun was arrested in 2019 for lying against the founder of a Church, the Promiseland Prophetic Ministry, Akure, Pastor Gbenga Akinbiyi, that seven placentas were planted on the Church’s altar. The Church was located at Shasha Area of Akure.

The convict, who was a former Pastor  of the Church ,  was said to have sworn an affidavit before the Commissioner for Oaths, on the matter.

Abiodun and a lecturer of the Adekunle Ajasin University,  Akungba Akoko,  Prof Lanre Olu-Adeyemi were, thereafter, arraigned on eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, publications of false information, perjury, impersonation, threatening violence amongst others.

The second defendant, Prof. Olu-Adeyemi, was the Admin of the WhatsApp group,  through which the false publication and accusation was published.

During the series of Court  proceedings on the matter,  various witnesses were called by the Court  on the sides of both prosecutors and defendants.

Delivering the judgment, the trial judge,  Justice Adegbehingbe found the first defendant, Abiodun, guilty on count  five of the charge for contradicting himself while giving evidence in the allegation against him which included using different Church WhatsApp platforms and other social media to malign, carry out false publication and wrongly accuse the founder of the church.

The Court  said Abiodun was found guilty of committing perjury, which is punishable under section 118 of criminal code, laws of Ondo state.

The Judge also held that,  in law, anybody found guilty of perjury was liable to life or 14 years imprisonment but due to the plea by the defence counsel, Mr Olanrewaju Adesanmi, the jail term was reduced to two years .

“The first defendant is hereby sentenced to two years imprisonment,” the Judge  ruled.

The second defendant was discharged and acquited as the court said the investigation conducted by the police on his involvement in the matter was shoddy.