Nigerian Pastor freed after eight years in South African jail

A Nigerian pastor, Timothy Omotoso, has been acquitted after spending eight years in a South African jail, where he faced accusations of raping young women from his church.

Omotoso, who denied all 32 charges against him, was found not guilty in a high-profile trial that attracted widespread attention, especially due to the live broadcast of the hearings.

The trial was marked by several dramatic moments, one of which involved a witness who testified in 2018, claiming that Omotoso had raped her when she was just 14 years old.

However, when the court delivered its verdict on Wednesday, the judge pointed out the mishandling of the case by prosecutors as the key reason for the acquittal.

According to the presiding judge, Omotoso was cleared of all charges due to the improper handling of evidence and the failure to adequately cross-examine him.

In a statement following the ruling, South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed that prosecutors had acted improperly.

"Former prosecutors in the case acted improperly, and the accused were not sufficiently cross-examined by the state," the NPA said.

The authority further added that it was reviewing its legal options, noting that the trial's extended duration was partly due to multiple legal challenges raised by Omotoso throughout the process.

Omotoso, along with his co-accused Lusanda Sulani and Zikiswa Sitho, was found not guilty of the charges.

The Nigerian pastor thanked God for the verdict, expressing his relief at the long-awaited conclusion of the trial.

"I thank God for today," he told the media, reflecting on the emotional toll the trial had taken on him and his family.

Omotoso's arrest in 2017, at an airport as he attempted to leave South Africa, was a turning point in the case, drawing even more attention to the charges and the subsequent trial.

It was also the first rape trial in the country to be broadcast live, prompting national debates about the intersection of justice and media coverage.

The trial raised important questions about the rights of victims, the role of media in legal proceedings, and the potential influence of public opinion on court cases.

With the verdict announced, Omotoso is now expected to be deported back to Nigeria, ending a chapter that has garnered significant media coverage.

The outcome has sparked conversations not just about the case itself, but about the broader issues of sexual violence, the criminal justice system, and the effectiveness of public trials.