Nigerian pastor and founder of Sotitobire Miracle Centre charged with child kidnapping in Ondo State, has been sentenced to life in prison.

The founder of Sotitobire Miracle Centre, Prophet Alfa Babatunde was recently charged with child kidnapping of one one-year-old boy, Gold Kolawole who went missing from his church last year.

Justice Odusola sentenced Babatunde upon his being found guilty of the two-count charge of kidnapping and aiding and abetting to kidnap based on the evidence presented by the prosecution.

The Prophet and six other members of his church had been on trial for months after Kolawole Gold disappeared from the Church’s Children Department during a Sunday service on November 10, 2019.

Ondo State government and the State Security Service then arraigned Babatunde on December 23, 2019 based on the charge of kidnapping Gold Kolawole from church on November 10, 2019.

The General Overseer of Sotitobire Praising Chapel, Akure, Alfa Babatunde was held at Olokuta Correctional Centre after the State Security Service testified that the pastor and some church workers colluded on the disappearance of the still-missing child.

The mother of the child, Modupe Kolawole had told news media that she suspected foul play, given the way her child disappeared. She said the church was not cooperating with the authorities in the investigations.

The SSS arraigned Mr Babatunde and six others to face trial before the state High Court in Akure for conspiracy to kidnap and aiding kidnapping.

The Court has now sentenced Alfa Babatunde and his co-conspirators to life in prison.