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The Federal Capital Territory Police
Command has seized the passport of a pastor accused of sexually
molesting young female members of his church.
The suspect, Pastor Basil Princewill, is
the General Overseer of the Mountain Movers Fire Ministries
International, Nyanya, a satellite town located between Abuja and
Nasarawa State.
The pastor is facing trial for the alleged offence before Shuaibu Usman of the Abuja Chief Magistrates’ Court in Karu.
Hearing in the trial was scheduled to
commence on Wednesday, but the
prosecution counsel, Sgt. Bulus Samuel,
applied for a short adjournment to enable the police amend the charges
brought against the pastor.
Samuel informed the court that he was
unable to proceed as scheduled because he lost his father shortly after
the matter was brought to court.
The defence counsel, Mr. Uchenna Anayo,
did not oppose the prosecution’s request for a short adjournment, but
moved an oral application for the release of the Pastor’s passport.
He told the court that the police had
continued to withhold, despite the fact that it should be released
according to the terms of the bail granted the accused person.
“It has come to our attention that the
police are still in possession of the first accused person’s passport.
We are applying to the court so they can release it,” Anayo said.
The prosecution opposed the application,
arguing that the cleric’s passport was seized in line with
investigations into the charges against him.
Samuel noted that the said passport would affect the case.
The pastor and his co-accused, Ms Paulyn
Ode, were arraigned by the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command on
charges of conspiracy, criminal impersonation, criminal intimidation,
and criminal force and assault.
Princewill was accused of having carnal knowledge of two 14-year-old female members of the church.
He was also said to have aborted the pregnancy of one the girls, after telling doctors he was her father.
Culled-Punch
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