It was
a dramatic scene at a South African airport on Thursday when the country’s
police swooped on a Nigerian pastor, Timothy Omotoso, accused of sexually
molesting girls in his congregation.
Mr. Omotoso, who is based in Durban, South
Africa, was arraigned in court on Friday and was denied bail. He is likely to
spend 12 nights behind bars, according to South African media.
The 58-year old pastor was arrested inside the
toilet at the Port Elizabeth Airport shortly after he disembarked from his
flight, says a report published by a South African newspaper, The Herald.
Mr. Omotoso had arrived Port Elizabeth airport
around 3 pm from Durban where his church, Jesus Dominion International, is
headquartered.
“Within minutes of the first passengers
disembarking, police rushed on to the tarmac. But Omotoso was seen walking into
the toilets minutes earlier, accompanied by a woman,” the paper reported.
The paper said that about eight heavily-armed
policemen were in the airport searching for the pastor.
It said that the policemen went into the
toilet, dragged out the unidentified woman before arresting Mr. Omotoso.
A short video posted on The Herald website
shows a handcuffed Mr. Omotoso being dragged away by the policemen, amidst
cheers from onlookers.
Mr.
Omotoso’s lawyer, Terry Price, who was present at the airport, had reportedly
protested, “You can arrest him here without a warrant!”
Mr. Price accused the South African police of
maltreating Mr. Omotoso.
“They (the police) are worse than Mugabe’s
thugs in Zimbabwe,” the lawyer was quoted as saying.
“Since when do you arrest an unarmed pastor
with eight armed men? He is not a danger.”
Robert Netshiunda, a spokesperson of the
Tactical Response Team, TRT, the special police unit that arrested Mr. Omotoso
later said of the pastor’s arrest: “We can’t say he wanted to run. We can say
he sought refuge in the toilets.”
The police alleged that Mr. Omotoso over the
years trafficked about 30 young women from various branches of his church to a
house in Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal where he allegedly exploited them sexually.
Meanwhile, the South Africa’s branch of the
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has called on the country’s authorities
to follow due process in the handling of the case.
CAN, according to a report aired by Channels
Television, expressed fears that Mr. Omotoso’s arrest might trigger more
anti-Nigerian sentiment in South Africa.
Mr. Omotoso, who is the founder of a 24-hour
satellite TV station, Ancient of Days Broadcasting Network (ADBN), which is
aired across the Caribbean, Africa, Mexico, Middle East, Europe and the United
States, is married and has three children.
-Premium Times
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