RCCG youth pastor sentenced to death

A youth pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Akolade Arowolo, has been sentenced to die by hanging for the murder of his banker wife, Titilayo.

Pastor Arowolo could not hold back his palns after the court ruling, he burst into a fit of prayer. Titilayo worked with Skye bank, whilst her husband was employed. Prosecutors were able to present c0mpelling evidence that led to the conv!ction of Mr Arowolo and his sentencing by Justice Lateefat Okunu of the Ikeja High Court, he was handed a d£ath sentence. Justice Okunu held in her over three hours judgment that evidence before the court proved that Arowolo actually murdered his wife in their matrimonial home.

Testimony in the form of a forensic report from Prof. John Oladapo Obafunwa, a pathologist, was what the court used to determine that there was no way the dec£ased could have stabbed herself to d€ath. Immediately after the judgment, Arowolo fell down in the dock and started shouting “Jesus have mercy.”

Reports that Prof Obafunwa testified that his autopsy report revealed that Titilayo was killed through 76 knife stab wounds.

There were claims by Pastor Arowolo, suggesting that his wife was p0ssessed and inflicted injvries on herself. He noted that the knife wounds affected Titilayo’s left eye, right eye, upper chest area, right chest and collar bone. Prof. Obafunwa pointed out in his testimony that the deceased could not have inflicted such wounds on herself. To further prove its case, pr0secution invited some of Titilayo’s family members who testified that Arowolo and Titilayo had always had a tr0ubled marriage.

The family members included Titilayo’s father, George Oyakhire; sister, Ijeh and mother-in-law, Mrs Adetoun Yeside Oyakhire. The three witnesses testified that the couple lived a cat and mouse life. They claimed that the family had at several times, settled serious flghts between the couple. None of the witnesses however saw what actually happened on the day Titilayo died.

The Herald reports that Arowolo’s co-tenant, Adewale Adeyemi also gave evidence in the case.