The exit from South Africa and five-year ban of controversial televangelist Timothy Omotoso has added a spanner in the works as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) kickstarts a process challenging his acquittal of rape and human trafficking.
Sixty-six-year-old Omotoso was acquitted on all charges in April after the pastor of the Jesus Dominion International Church spent close to a decade in and out of South African courts.
Home Affairs welcomes pastor Timothy Omotoso’s return to Nigeria
While he’s been cleared of rape and human trafficking, he was briefly back behind bars last week for violating immigration laws.
Now declared an undesirable person by immigration officials, Omotoso boarded a flight from OR Tambo to Nigeria on Sunday — only a few days after the NPA announced its decision to take the Eastern Cape High Court’s judgment on his rape case on review.
The prominent televangelist, who has now become a divisive figure, cut a low-profile figure as he arrived at OR Tambo International Airport.
Dressed in a grey hoodie, sky-blue shades, and clutching documents, Omotoso said nothing to the media as he hurried through departures, arriving more than two hours before his flight.
In South Africa, he leaves behind his family, close associates, and a loyal base of followers who stood by him through years of legal drama.
But in Nigeria, Omotoso returns to a different reception. His church is still thriving, and his criminal record is clean in the eyes of the law.
Speaking on the sidelines at the airport, Home Affairs spokesperson Siya Qoza said the department has done its part and the ball now lies squarely in the NPA’s court.
“It is best to refer the questions of the appeal to the NPA. They would be best placed to respond to those questions.”
But when EWN reached out to the NPA for comment, the prosecution body did not offer a clear response on what bearing Omotoso’s exit has on the acquittal challenge.
Timothy Omotoso @Eyewitnessnews
