Pastor is remanded by a Kogi court for alleged culpable homicide

Pastor Peter Michonza of the New Jerusalem Deliverance Ministry, Ageva, in the Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, has been detained to the Federal Correctional Center Kabba for 14 days by a Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Lokoja.

The Department of State Security detained Pastor Michonza on September 19, 2022, in response to complaints from the local government's residents and the council chairman regarding allegations that Pastor Michonza ran labor wards for expectant women in his church and sold "bulletproof" water to the populace, among other medically unacceptable practices that have resulted in the deaths of numerous innocent people.

Abdul A. Umar, the Chief Magistrate in charge, issued the directive on Thursday in response to the Department of State Services' experte motion to hold the accused person so that additional investigations could be conducted.

The accused was charged with culpable homicide, causing a miscarriage, and impersonation, all crimes punishable under sections 224, 232, 433, and 325 of the Kogi State Penal Code.

Following the conclusion of the preliminary investigations, the suspect will be charged before the High Court of Justice.

Lawrence Ilobuno, the defendant's attorney, informed reporters that his client had been taken into custody by the DSS on September 19, 2022, and had been held there ever since without being brought to trial.

He claims that he has approached the Magistrate to request bail because the suspect has remained in detention for longer than necessary days despite being charged with a crime.

Ilbuno added that the Magistrate remanded the suspect at Kabba Correctional Center for an additional 14 days based on an experte application submitted by the DSS for remand to allow them to conduct additional investigations.

In his decision, the presiding Chief Magistrate postponed the matter until October 20, 2022, for mention.