Pastor Sentenced for Sexual Assault

O On June 30th, 2025, Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe of the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sentenced 45-year-old pastor Ndukwe Ogbu to 25 years in prison for sexual assault by penetration and related charges involving his 14-year-old daughter.

Justice Abike-Fadipe determined that the prosecution had proven the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

During sentencing, she remarked on Ogbu’s lack of remorse, noting that he failed to apologize for his actions. Ogbu had requested the court to temper justice with mercy, citing his responsibility to care for his other children.

The trial featured testimony from three witnesses: a social worker, the victim, and the doctor who examined her. Social worker Femi Oyeleke initiated the police report, while the victim identified Ogbu as her father and recounted the abuse she endured.

She testified that the assaults began when she was 14, describing how her father would enter her room naked, remove her clothes, and force himself on her, threatening her against telling anyone.

Ogbu denied the allegations, claiming he was not present during the incidents and suggesting that the victim had memory issues. However, the court found his defense unconvincing, relying instead on the corroborated testimonies of the victim, the doctor, and the social worker.

Ogbu faced charges of sexual assault, sexual assault by penetration, and related offenses, having been arraigned in February 2021, with the trial commencing in October 2021.

Ultimately, Justice Abike-Fadipe sentenced him to 3 years on the first count and 25 years on the subsequent counts, with all terms to run concurrently, and backdated the sentence to December 2019, when he was initially remanded.