13 Church Members Get N1.3m Bail In Rivers …Over Alleged N1bn Theft
A High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has granted bail to 13 members of the Saint Matthew’s Anglican Church, Nkpogu, Rivers State, in a case bordering on conspiracy, assault and stealing of about N1billion belonging to the church.
The 13 members, who were arraigned on 22 counts, last Wednesday, were alleged to have, among other offences, assaulted Ven Chimela Samuel while he was officiating as a priest in charge of the church.
The presiding judge, Justice Crescent Dappa-Addo, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N100,000 each with sureties, who should be prominent members of the church and residing within the jurisdiction of the court.
In the case instituted by the Inspector-General of Police, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the 22 counts read to them by the court clerk, including that of unlawful transfer of money from the church account to their personal accounts.
Arraigned in connection with the offences are, Victor Amachree, Kingdom Amadi, Eric Obi, Sunny Ohimai, Uche Okechukwu and Samuel Unendi.
Other defendants are, Oyedele Ogundipe, Oje Uguadele, Kingsley Onyekosor, Samuel Adeyemi, Merrygold Harcourt, Veronica Johnson and Adeniyi Emmanuel.
Some of the charges read, “That you, Emmanuel Adeniyi, between December 20, 2013, and July 12, 2016, at 51, Trans Amadi Road, Port Harcourt, in the Port Harcourt Judicial Division, did steal the sum of N5, 694,030.00 from a Zenith Bank account number 1010866271, property of the Saint Matthew’s Anglican Church, Nkpogu Deanery, Port Harcourt, and thereby committed an offence.
“That you Kingdom Okechukwu, Oje Uduadele, Sunny Ohimai, Kingsley Onyekosor, Sameul Unendi, on or about June 22, 2013, at the Saint Matthew’s Anglican Church, Nkpogu Deanery, Port Harcourt, in Port Harcourt Judicial Division, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit: offering violence to officiating ministers of religion and thereby committed an offence.”
Justice Dappa-Addo, however, adjourned the matter till June 28, 2017, for hearing of the case.
In charge Sheet No. 769/2017, the Archbishop of the Diocese of Niger Delta North, Ignatius Kattey, and Ven Chimela Samuel were described as the nominal complainants in the matter.
Source: thetidenewsonline
The 13 members, who were arraigned on 22 counts, last Wednesday, were alleged to have, among other offences, assaulted Ven Chimela Samuel while he was officiating as a priest in charge of the church.
The presiding judge, Justice Crescent Dappa-Addo, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N100,000 each with sureties, who should be prominent members of the church and residing within the jurisdiction of the court.
In the case instituted by the Inspector-General of Police, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the 22 counts read to them by the court clerk, including that of unlawful transfer of money from the church account to their personal accounts.
Arraigned in connection with the offences are, Victor Amachree, Kingdom Amadi, Eric Obi, Sunny Ohimai, Uche Okechukwu and Samuel Unendi.
Other defendants are, Oyedele Ogundipe, Oje Uguadele, Kingsley Onyekosor, Samuel Adeyemi, Merrygold Harcourt, Veronica Johnson and Adeniyi Emmanuel.
Some of the charges read, “That you, Emmanuel Adeniyi, between December 20, 2013, and July 12, 2016, at 51, Trans Amadi Road, Port Harcourt, in the Port Harcourt Judicial Division, did steal the sum of N5, 694,030.00 from a Zenith Bank account number 1010866271, property of the Saint Matthew’s Anglican Church, Nkpogu Deanery, Port Harcourt, and thereby committed an offence.
“That you Kingdom Okechukwu, Oje Uduadele, Sunny Ohimai, Kingsley Onyekosor, Sameul Unendi, on or about June 22, 2013, at the Saint Matthew’s Anglican Church, Nkpogu Deanery, Port Harcourt, in Port Harcourt Judicial Division, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit: offering violence to officiating ministers of religion and thereby committed an offence.”
Justice Dappa-Addo, however, adjourned the matter till June 28, 2017, for hearing of the case.
In charge Sheet No. 769/2017, the Archbishop of the Diocese of Niger Delta North, Ignatius Kattey, and Ven Chimela Samuel were described as the nominal complainants in the matter.
Source: thetidenewsonline
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