The House on the Rock Abuja, presiding pastor, Uche Aigbe, has been ordered by a Chief Magistrate Court in the Federal Capital Territory to face a criminal case connected to a prohibited firearm discovered in his possession.
The Pastor’s no-case submission was dismissed by Chief Magistrate Abubakar Ismail on Thursday, who stated that the objection lacked merit and substance.
Background
Mr Aigbe was arrested by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command in February for carrying a gun during a Sunday church service, as seen in a viral video on social media platforms.
The pastor’s actions, including holding an AK-47 rifle on the church pulpit, raised concerns about safety among many commentators.
The police charged Mr Aigbe, along with Promise Ukachukwu and Olakunle Ogunleye, with criminal conspiracy, illegal possession of prohibited firearms, inciting disturbance, and criminal intimidation.
Despite pleading not guilty to the charges, the court rescheduled the case for April 25 and set May 2 for the continuation of the trial due to the absence of defense lawyer Uche Uzukwu.
As per the report by News Agency of Nigeria, the defendants claimed that their lawyer, Mr. Uzukwu, was absent due to a trip, and they were searching for a substitute.
The trial was then postponed to May 10th, followed by several other dates, with the next being Thursday, August 10th.
The prosecution counsel alleged that the defendants acquired a firearm from Insp. Musa Audu, a police officer stationed at Wuye Division on guard duty at the church. The firearm was supposedly used to illustrate a sermon about faith.
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Assistant Police Commissioner James Idachaba, the prosecution counsel, also accused the defendants of making intimidating and inciting statements to the churchgoers, which could result in a breach of the peace and cause alarm.
The offence, he said, was punishable under the Firearms Act 2004 and contravened Sections 97, 114, and 397 of the Penal Code.
Court`s decision
In a brief ruling, Magistrate Ismail held that based on the overall evidence presented, the pastor has been convincingly linked to the charges laid against him by the Police.
Consequently, he dismissed the defendant’s no case submission saying the pastor has a case to answer.
