Metro

You’ve a Case To Answer, Court Tells AK-47 Rifle Wielding Abuja Pastor

Published

2 years ago

August 10, 2023

An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court sitting at Zuba, on Thursday, held that a presiding pastor of the House On The Rock Church, Uche Aigbe, who had on February 12, mounted the pulpit with an AK-47 rifle, has a case to answer.

The embattled cleric was said to have used the firearm which he got from an Inspector of Police, Musa Audu, who was on guard at the church, for an illustration while preaching a sermon about faith.

The prosecution alleged that he made inciting and intimidating statements to his congregation, capable of raising unnecessary alarm or causing a breach of public peace.

Specifically, police alleged that Pastor Aigbe, by his action, committed an offence punishable under section III of the Firearms Act CAP F28, LFN 2004, and contravened Section 97, 114, and 397 of the Penal Code.

Aside from the pastor, equally charged to court by the police over the incident were two others- Promise Ukachukwu and Olakunle Ogunleye, who are all clerics of the church located within the Wuye District of Abuja.

Meanwhile, all the defendants pleaded not guilty to the First Information Report, FIR, the police entered against them which bordered on criminal conspiracy, illegal possession of prohibited firearms, inciting disturbance and criminal intimidation.

Pastor Aigbe and his co- defendants subsequently filed a no-case-submission, praying the court to quash the charge against them for want of incriminating evidence capable of warranting their trial and conviction.

They argued that there was no prima-facie evidence linking them to any criminal offence.

However, in a brief ruling on Thursday, Magistrate Abdulazeez Muhammad, held that from the totality of the evidence so far adduced, the defendants have been effectively linked with the charges preferred against him by police.

The court proceeded to okay the prosecution of the trio on a three-count charge.

According to the court: “In the light of the foregoing and having found that prima facie case has been succinctly established against all the 3 defendants, we proceed in the interest of justice, to frame the appropriate 3-count charge against the defendants as follows.

“I, Abdulazeez Ismail Muhammad, Magistrate Grade II, sitting at Zuba/Gwagwalada Magisterial Disrict, hereby charge you, Pastor Uche Aigbe, Pastor Promise Ukachukwu and Pastor Olakunle Ogunleye, as follows;

“1st count: That you, Pastor Uche Aigbe, male, of No.21 Mambila Plateau Galadimawa and Pastor Okachukwu Promise, male, of Mba Pada House off Galadimawa Roundabout, on the 12th day of February,2023 at the House on the Rock Church, situate at Oladipo Diya Street Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, had in your possession one{1} AK47 rifle{with breach No.3368} without a licence or formal authorization. You thereby committed the offence of unlawful possession of prohibited firearms, contrary to s 3 of the FIREARMS ACT CAP F 28 LAWS OF THE FEDERATION 2004 and punishable under section 27{1b} of the same ACT

“2nd count: That you, Pastor Uche Aigbe, male, of No. 21 Mambila Plateau Galadimawa, Abuja, on the 12th day of February ,2023 at the House on the Rock Church, situate at Oladipo Diya Street, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did make some inflammatory statements with intent to cause or likely to cause breach of peace to wit: you are calling people to take-up arms in order to propagate and defend their faith. Thereby committed the offence of inciting disturbance, contrary to s 114 PENAL CODE ACT and punishable under the same section.

“3rd count: That you, Pastor Olakunle Ogunleye, male, of plot 735, Behind Games Village Kaura, Abuja, on the 12th day of February, 2023 at the House on the Rock Church, situate at Oladipo Diya Street, Abuja, abetted the unlawful possession of prohibited firearms by Pastor Uche Aigbe and Pastor Okachukwu Promise to wit; with a view to facilitate illegal possession of prohibited firearms you procured Inspector Musa Abdu, who was standing on his duty post to surrender his rifle to the said pastors. Thereby committed the offence of abetment contrary to the provision of s 83 of the Penal Code Act and punishable under s 85 of the same Act.”

VANGUARD

Related Topics:#Abuja Abuja Pastor Court

Up Next

Police Neutralise 3 Gunmen, Several Escape With Bullet Wounds In Enugu

Don't Miss

Why I Butchered My Ex-lover — Suspect

Comments

Metro

Edo: Man In Police Net For Allegedly Killing Abroad Returnee

Published

13 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Editor

The Edo State Police Command has arrested a suspect identified as Amadin William, for allegedly killing a 43-year-old Eghosa Osaikhuowuomwan, popularly known as Didi
in Oben community, Orhionmwon Local Government Area of the state.

Osaikhuowuomwan, who reportedly resides abroad was in his community to celebrate the Christmas and New Year where he was killed by the suspect.

The command’s spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem, who confirmed the incident, said the deceased went to attend a house warming party in the community on December 22, 2025, and in the process he (the deceased) excused himself to defecate where the suspect trailed him with matchett and machetted him in the neck.

Ikoedem, who said the deceased bled in the process and was confirmed dead in the hospital, adding that the deceased younger sister , Endurance Efe thereafter reported the incident to the police on December 23 2025.

She stressed that after the incident was reported to the police, the police started tracking the suspect, adding that he was eventually arrested in Benin City on December 27, 2025.

Ikoedem, who could not confirm if the deceased was an abroad returnee as claimed, noted: “The incident was reported on the 23rd of this month by the deceased edler sister named Endurance Efe.

“After giving the deceased a machete cut in the neck, the suspect fled the scene. It happened that on December 22, 2025, the deceased went for a house warning party in the community. During that party, he excused himself to defecate, and that was when the suspect came out and followed him with a machete, and gave him a cut in the neck, and he bled, and bled to death. He was actually confirmed dead at the hospital.

“The matter was reported at the police station the next day, by the deceased sister, and since then we have been tracking the suspect. He was arrested yesterday, December 27, 2025, in Benin City.”

The command’s spokesperson, while stating that the “suspect is currently in custody,” added that “but he is not the only one in custody. Two other persons were also arrested for arson.”

“Following the incident, hoodlums suspected to be from the victim’s family set ablaze the house of the suspect’s father and the community banner, for which two suspects—Prince Nosa ‘m’ aged 25 and Sunday Ogedegbe ‘m’ aged 30 were arrested and are in custody for Arson,” she said.

Metro

Obaseki Beaten, Stripped In Edo

Published

16 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Editor

Don Pedro Obaseki, a cousin to a former governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has been beaten and stripped by suspected thugs.

Pedro Obaseki was attacked at Uwa Primary School where he went to play football.

In a viral video, Pedro Obaseki, was seen kneeling at the Oba of Benin Palace gate.

The suspected thugs told the palace guards that they brought an Oghion(enemy) of Oba, as Pedro Obaseki was made to kneel down.

Metro

My Wife Started Bringing Home Her Lovers After She Sent Me, My First Wife Packing —Husband

Published

2 days ago

December 27, 2025

Editor

…He must give our child N30,000 monthly for food if he’s insisting on divorce —Wife

A man, Abass, has approached Grade A Customary Court, Court 2, sitting at Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, to seek that it dissolve the union between him and his wife, Bolaji, on the grounds of disobedience, adultery and threat to his life by the latter.

Abass stated that Bolaji was troublesome and made their home non-conducive for him and his first wife.

Abass also said that he almost lost his job after Bolaji extended her unruly behaviour to his office, where she came to fight him and turned the whole premises upside down.

According to him, the timely intervention of the police saved the situation.

The plaintiff added further that Bolaji sent his first wife packing, while he also moved out of their house a few months after this when it became obvious she was bent on snuffing life out of him.

Abass explained that Bolaji threw caution in the air immediately he moved out of the house and started bringing her lovers into the house.

These men, he stated, did spend the night with her.

The plaintiff said he went home early one morning and saw the defendant seeing one of them off.

Abass told the court he has had enough of his wife’s atrocities and thus prayed for the dissolution of their union.

According to the plaintiff, the defendant took to threatening him since he dragged her to court.

Bolaji refused that their union be dissolved, giving the welfare of the only child produced by their union as excuse.

Abass in his testimony said, “Bolaji and I met in 2019 and I paid her bride price.

“I already had a wife when I met her, and the three of us were living together after she moved in with me.

“Bolaji started misbehaving early in our marriage.

“She was always at loggerheads with my first wife; she showed no regard for her and sought every opportunity to fight her.

“Any time I tried to caution her, she would flare up and accuse me of taking sides with her rival.

“Peace deserted us in the home because Bolaji made it hell to live in.

“Bolaji fought me and my first wife on regular basis.

“I almost lost my job when she came to my office to fight me.

“It took the intervention of the policemen before sanity could be restored.

“The embarrassment and shame he exposed me to have not left me till date.

“Bolaji made my first wife life so miserable that she packed her belongings and moved out of the house.

“I saw hell in the few months I was left alone with Bolaji; she almost snuffed life out of me.

“I had no choice than to move out our house.

“Bolaji threw caution in the air immediately I left our home.

“She started dating other men and even had the audacity to bring them into our home.

“These men normally spent the night with her.

“I decided to visit home one faithful day very early in the morning and I saw her seeing one of her lovers off.

“My lord, I can no longer tolerate Bolaji’s loose and indecent lifestyle.

“She now threatens and swears to make my life miserable and unbearable.

“I pray this honourable court to rule that we are no longer husband and wife.

“I in addition request an order restricting her from threatening me.”

Bolaji responded, “My lord, he lied that he paid my bride price.

“We did not hold any marital rites, neither was I handed over to him by my parents.

“I do not agree to divorce because of our child’s welfare.

“I have a child from my first marriage and do not want our child’s fate to be like that of my first child.

“But if the court eventually dissolves our marriage, I plead that it mandates my husband to give me N30, 000 every month for our child’s feeding.”

The court president, Mrs O.E. Owoseni, gave her judgement after she had heard both parties state that the plaintiff did not cross-examine the defendant in respect of non-payment of bride price and subsequent handing over to him as wife.

Owoseni stated that he has by implication admitted that he did not pay bride price nor was handed over to him as wife.

She added that the ingredients validating marriage under customary law was absent, which meant that they were never married, but merely cohabiting.

Consequently, there was no marriage to be dissolved.

Owoseni further stated that since the plaintiff was no longer interested in cohabiting with the defendant, both parties were, therefore, ordered to go their different ways.

She also explained that based on the unchallenged evidence that the defendant was fond of fighting and causing trouble, the defendant was restrained from harassing, threatening, disturbing and or interfering with the plaintiff’s private life.

The defendant was granted custody of their child, while the plaintiff was given reasonable access to him.

The plaintiff was ordered to pay N30,000 monthly to the defendant for their child’s upkeep.