An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court has remanded a 45 year-old woman, Juliet Uche Ezeonye Idu [a.k.a. Evangelist] to prison custody for making false allegation and criminal intimidation against the General Overseer, Lord’s Charismatic Revival Ministries, Pastor Lazarus Muoka.
The suspect who has been on the wanted list of the police since 2013 was arraigned before the court by the Force Criminal Investigation Department [FCID] for giving force information with intent to mislead a public servant and defamation contrary to sections 140 and 392 of the Penal Code law as well as alleged criminal intimidation contrary to section 397 [b] of the Penal Code Law.
Although she pleaded not guilty to the charge, her bail application which was moved by her lawyer, C.P. Ezedebe was overruled by Chief Magistrate Azubike Ikaogwu on the ground that no sufficient materials were placed before the court to warrant the granting of bail.
Chief Magistrate Ikaogwu said the offence of criminal intimidation is not ordinary a bailable offence since carries a sentence o0f 7 years upon conviction and therefore sufficient materials were needed to be placed before the court for its consideration.
According to the First information Report [F.I.R], Mrs. Idu had on July 19, 2012 wrote a false petition to the then Inspector General of Police alleging that the General Overseer, Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, Pastor Lazarus Muoka hired the services Barrister Victor Ukut and Mr. Chidi Louise, [who were subsequently arrested and detained by the police], to kidnap her, knowing that the said information was false.
The F.I.R. dated December 21, 2015 reads:
“The Inspector General of Police was on the 19th July 2012, at Police Force headquarters, Area 11 Garki, Abuja, Mrs. Juliet Uche Idu, alias evangelist [Mrs.] Juliet Uche Ezeonye Idu ‘f’ by way of petition which she knew to be false, or believed to be false, intending thereby to cause Inspector General of Police, a public officer to use his lawful power to arrest and caused to be detained Barr. Victor Ukut and Mr. Chidi Louise on the false allegations that Pastor Lazarus Mouka procured her alleged attempted kidnap, a thing he would not have done if he had known the true facts of the case; to their injury or annoyance and by the same medium by words intended to be read, made or published concerning Barr. Victor Ukut and Mr. Chidi Louise intending to harm their reputation or having reason to believe that such imputations that they are kidnappers or attempted kidnappers will harm their reputation and thereby committed an offence of false information with intent to mislead a public servant and defamation contrary to sections 140 and 392 of the Penal Code law as well as alleged criminal intimidation contrary to section 397 [b]of the Penal Code Law.”
Earlier, the prosecution counsel, David Abuo [CSP] told the court that the accused had absconded to Ghana to evade justice and was subsequently declared wanted by the police through a special police gazette bulletin with reference no; CR: 3140/FHQ/ABJ/GI/04/09/13.
He said the accused could not be found to take her trial since 2012 and that it took the police several years on manhunt before she was caught in Abuja and charged to court.
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