Pastor Timothy Omotosho, 66 years old Nigerian televangelist, acquitted of rape charges by a South African court after spending eight years in prison.
By Ibukun Emiola
A retired professor of International Law, Akin Oyebode, has described the acquittal of a Nigerian televangelist, Pastor Timothy Omotosho, by a South African court as a landmark judgment.
Oyebode, who retired from the University of Lagos, commended the judgment in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Wednesday.
He said that Omotosho’s acquittal has confirmed that the length of time it took to get justice might be as significant as the eventuality of justice.
According to the current Pro-Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti, irrespective of how problematic the circumstances are, justice served is the ultimate in any legal case.
Oyebode said, “The struggle for justice has a long and enduring history, which inevitably impacts positively on the human destiny and deserves the support of progressive forces across the world.
“It is noteworthy that the international protection of human rights is gaining ascendancy and is today recognised as jus cogens or a peremptory norm of international law.”
NAN recalls that Omotosho and two others were acquitted of all the 32 charges against them in Wednesday’s judgment delivered at the Gqeberha High Court by Judge Irma Schoeman.
The Nigerian televangelist, who was arrested in April 2017, had spent eight years in jail after being accused of sexually assaulting young women from his South African church.
