The founder of Sotitobire Praising Chapel, Akure, Prophet Babatunde Alfa, has approached the Appellate court to appeal his conviction over the disappearance of one year old Gold Kolawole in his church in November 2019.
The Ondo state high court hadthree months ago sentenced Prophet Sotitobire to life imprisonment over his complicity in the disappearance of one year old Gold Kolawole.
Court documents obtained by newsmen indicate that hearing will begin on Monday at the Appeal court in Akure, the Ondo state capital.
The prophet had engaged the services of two Senior Advocates of Nigeria to lead his new legal team.
Two senior advocate of Nigeria, chief gboyega awomolo and his wife, Victoria will be leading 6 other lawyers to quash the conviction of the cleric and his church teachers by the lower court.
The documents revealed that a notice of appeal with 5 grounds was first filed on November 5 2020 while an additional 12 grounds was filled on December 12 2020.
Prophet Alfa is contending among other things that the judge erred in law as the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case while the DSS also has no powers to investigate the matter that should have been handled by the police.
Investigation also revealed that parties including the Ondo state ministry of justice are abreast of the development and ready to begin another round of ligation in one the most celebrated cases in the history of Ondo state judiciary.
His 10 months trial at the state high court lasted in October 2020 as the court found prophet Alfa alongside five children teachers guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment by the trial judge, olusegun odusola based on the circumstantial evidence presented by the prosecution led by the former attorney general, Adekola Olawoye.
Source : Roving Reporters
