UK-Based Nigerian Self-Styled Prophet Oluronbi Sentenced to 34 Years for Serial Rape of Church Members, Impregnating Victims Multiple Times

UK-Based Nigerian Self-Styled Prophet Oluronbi Sentenced to 34 Years for Serial Rape of Church Members, Impregnating Victims Multiple Times

A Nigerian evangelical pastor residing in the UK, Michael Oluronbi, aged 60, has been sentenced to 34 years in prison following his conviction for numerous instances of sexual assault against members of his church.

Evidence presented to the jury revealed that several of his female victims experienced multiple pregnancies as a result of his actions. It was uncovered that he exploited his position of authority to perpetrate abuse against both children and adults over a span of two decades.

According to Mail Online, Oluronbi, originally from Nigeria and living in Birmingham, was found guilty of the offences against six women and a man in January, actions described by a judge as “one of the worst cases of sexual abuse of multiple children to come before the courts”.

Some of his offences were carried out after he convinced victims, five of whom attended his church, to take part in “spiritual bathing”, which he claimed would “cleanse” them of evil spirits.

During the trial at Birmingham Crown Court, a jury heard that some of his young female victims who became pregnant multiple times were taken to abortion clinics by qualified pharmacist to cover up what was happening.

He was convicted of 15 counts of rape, seven counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault. The jury heard that there were at least 88 separate occasions on which he raped his victims.

Juliana, his wife, was found guilty of three counts of aiding and abetting rape for her involvement in coordinating some of the terminations. She received a sentence of 11 years in prison for her role in assisting her husband. “Everything was my fault” admits pastor in video confession.

In a video confession captured last year by a family member of one of the victims who confronted him, the pastor can be heard admitting, “Everything was solely my fault, and as I previously mentioned, I was not supposed to be human.”

“I wasn’t meant to live under the roof of any human being and I said that I was an animal.”

The footage was released by West Midlands Police after the trial.

The victim’s relative is then heard, off-camera, asking the pastor: “You know I said that you are a pedophile? Everyone knows that you’re a pedophile. You know that that’s the name they give to your type?”

Oluronbi, who appears on camera in a formal shirt and tie speaking animatedly, raising his hands but with his eyes shut, then replies: “Fine.”

He also claims the devil made him carry out the abuse.

Despite the recorded evidence, Oluronbi persisted in denying any wrongdoing throughout the trial. As a result, his victims were compelled to provide testimony against him during the nine-week-long legal proceedings. He even laughed in the witness box while giving his own evidence.

Judge Sarah Buckingham said the real purpose of the ‘spiritual baths’ was to “fulfil your insatiable sexual appetite”.

Oluronbi and his wife will be required to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

Sentencing Oluronbi on Friday, May 10, Judge Buckingham said: “You claimed that God was instructing you to conduct holy baths. Its real purpose was to fulfil your insatiable sexual appetite”.

“The children feared you and this enabled you to continue your grip.

“Your offending has had an extreme and severe impact on all of your complainants.

“Any attempt to suggest otherwise would be without foundation.

“You abused your position of trust – they trusted you like God.”

The judge continued: “You did this because you are an arrogant, selfish and vain man. In my judgment, your offending must be one of the worst cases of sexual abuse of multiple children to come before the courts.”

One of his victims, now an adult, had come forward to help bring Oluronbi to justice.

In statements read to the court by the prosecution, one of the victims said the defendant’s actions made her “question if my life was worth living”.

Jurors also heard Oluronbi was linked to a Christian church in Edgbaston, Birmingham, the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, whose roots were in Nigeria.

He set up his own splinter group for about 40 adults and children, separate from the church and located at another address, where he began a practice of “spiritual bathing”.

The offences took place in Birmingham and London.

Phil Bradley QC, the prosecutor, informed the jury that one of the main tactics employed by Oluronbi was to assert that he had received instructions from God to conduct “holy baths” for certain members of his congregation. He purported that these baths were intended to “cleanse” individuals and shield them from malevolent influences.

He added that for some of the female victims, it “progressed to repeated rapes, on many occasions leading to unwanted pregnancies and terminations”.

Oluronbi’s victims described him as “controlling” and “almost like a king”.

The offenses occurred over a span of 20 years, spanning various locations and dating back to the 1980s. Oluronbi’s arrest took place at Birmingham Airport in May of the previous year, as he attempted to depart the country for Nigeria while carrying some of his ceremonial items and a sum of cash.

Police are unable to say whether he was trying to flee justice, but pointed out he had recently been confronted about the abuse by one of his victims.