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Summary
A Lagos State Sexual Offences Court in Ikeja has sentenced Pastor Ndukwe Ogbu aged 45 to 53 years in prison for the sexual assault and exploitation of his 14-year-old daughter.
Pastor Ndukwe Ogbu, age 45, was on Monday, June 30, 2025, sentenced to 53 years imprisonment by a Lagos State Sexual Offences Court sitting in Ikeja. The conviction followed his trial for the sexual assault and exploitation of his 14-year-old daughter.
Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe, presiding over the case, ruled that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to prove all elements of the charges against pastor Ndukwe Ogbu. During sentencing, the judge noted his lack of remorse for the crime committed against his daughter.
Pastor Ndukwe Ogbu is to face three counts filed by the Lagos State government, including sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a minor. His arraignment took place in February 2021, with the trial commencing on October 18, 2021.
The prosecution presented three witnesses during the trial. The first witness was Femi Oyeleke, a social worker, who initially reported the case to the police. The second witness was the survivor, who testified against her father. The third witness was a medical doctor who examined the girl and corroborated her account.
In her testimony, the survivor identified Pastor Ndukwe Ogbu as her father and narrated that the incidents began when she was 14 years old. She told the court that her father would enter her room naked, remove her clothes, and force himself on her, threatening her against disclosing the abuse to anyone. The survivor eventually confided in her schoolteacher, who then alerted the social worker, leading to the police report.
In his defence, Ogbu denied the allegations, claiming he was not at home when the incidents occurred. He admitted to living with the survivor in a two-bedroom apartment but asserted that she was mentally unstable and forgetful. He also confirmed that his wife had died when their children were young, and that his other children lived in the village with their maternal grandmother, with whom he had not spoken in a long time.
However, Justice Abike-Fadipe, in delivering the judgment, stated that the testimonies of the doctor and the social worker corroborated the survivor’s account. The judge also cited Exhibit P1, which confirmed the survivor’s age as 15 at the time the offence was committed, noting the defence’s failure to cross-examine this detail.
Pastor Ndukwe was found guilty on all three counts. He received a three-year sentence on count one, 25 years on count two, and another 25 years on count three. These sentences are to run concurrently, resulting in a total of 53 years’ imprisonment. The prison term is to commence from December 2019, the date he was first remanded.
