Pastor remanded for murder

A Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting at Lokoja, Kogi State, has remanded a cleric, Pastor Peter Michonza, of the New Jerusalem Deliverance Ministry, Ageva, in the Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, in the Federal Custodial Centre, Kabba, for 14 days.

Michonza was arrested on September 19, 2022, by the Department of State Services following an outcry by the people of the local government and the council chairman.

The suspect had been accused of running labour wards for pregnant women in his church and selling ‘bullet-proof’ water to the people, among other practices, which had allegedly led to the death of many people.

The Chief Magistrate, Abdul Umar, remanded the cleric on Thursday following an ex parte application the DSS filed to enable the agency to continue further investigations.

In the application, the accused was alleged to have committed culpable homicide, caused miscarriage and impersonated, offences punishable under sections 224, 232, 433 and 325 of the Kogi State Penal Code.

Counsel for the defendant, Lawrence Ilobuno, said his client was arrested by the DSS on September 19, 2022, and had since been detained in their custody without trial.

According to him, he had approached the magistrate to file an application for bail because the suspect had stayed more than the required days in custody without being charged to court.

Ilbuno said, however, he was remanded based on the DSS application.

The case was adjourned till October 20, 2022, for mention.