Nigerian televangelist pastor Timothy Omotoso and his co-accused, who were facing charges including rape, sexual assault and human trafficking, have been acquitted.

In her ruling on Wednesday morning, Gqeberha high court judge Irma Schoeman found Omotoso and his co-accused, Lusanda Sulani and Zukiswa Sitho, not guilty, saying the state had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Schoeman said when deciding whether the state had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, the matter fell into the category where “in my view the explanations of the accused are improbable and I don’t subjectively believe them.”

However, due to the uncertainty of the state’s actions and the lack of proper cross-examination, she could not find that “the accused’s versions are so improbable that they cannot reasonably, possibly be true”.

Omotoso was arrested in April 2017 and had been in custody since then, until his acquittal today.

Sulani and Sitho were out on bail for the duration of the trial.