The founder of Sotitobire Praising Chapel, Akure, Alfa Babatunde, who was sentenced to life imprisonment over a missing child during church service has been acquitted by the Appeal Court siting in Akure, Ondo State capital.
The pastor was convicted by the state High Court over the disappearance of a one-year-old boy, Gold Kolawole.
Kolawole was abuducted in the church in November 2019 during the church service.
Babatunde was subsequently arrested by the operatives of the Directorate of State Services and later charged to court on a two-count of kidnapping.
The lower court sentenced Babatunde and five others, namely- Omodara Olayinka, Margaret Oyebola ,Grace Ogunjobi, Egunjobi Motunrayo and Esther Kayode, to life imprisonment, having found guilty them guilty of the charges.
However, the appellate court presided by Justice Hammah Barka said the circumstantial evidence upon which the lower court based its judgement was not enough to convict the appellants.
He discharged and acquainted the appellants.
But the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Charles Titiloye , who is also the prosecutor, while reacting to the judgement said the state government would study the judgement and then decide on the next step.
He said, “The court has affirmed that the DSS can investigate any case and does not have a jurisdictional problem to investigate a case like this.
“However, the court has stated that the circumstancial evidence upon which the conviction was based upon at the lower court is not enough to sustain the conviction of the defendants .
“Our attitude from the state is that we study the judgement and take a proper steps we are suppose to take on the matter.”
Counsel for the appellant, who was represented by Akinyemi Omoware said the court judgement had shown that truth would prevail over falsehood.
