Pastor Uche Aigbe of House on the Rock Refuge Church was arrested last February for carrying a firearm amid a worship service. It has been stated that his attorney failed to appear in court, resulting in the trial being rescheduled for the second time.
Pastor Uche Aigbe Carrying Gun During Church Service
Pastor Uchie Aigbe created a commotion on Sunday, Feb. 12, when he approached the altar while holding an AK-47 weapon during the second session. This particular service regularly draws many congregants from all across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Platinum Post reported.
The pastor moved up to the podium without glancing at his congregation, even though he was mindful of the tension that his behavior had caused. However, just as he was about to open his Bible, Pastor Aigbe stared up and sarcastically commented, "Some people are looking for his trouble." And he reportedly arrived there having all his needs ready.
"Today, there are some pastors with the gift of divination who go about ripping people. This is why we should carry our 'guns' and defend ourselves. I will particularly be coming very soon for some of you sleeping in the church," he noted.
His statement caused everyone in the congregation to laugh; then, he resumed his sermon on the importance of "guarding your hearts against false teachers" and "faith without work is dead."
After further investigation, it was discovered that on the same day, a law enforcement officer named Inspector Musa Audu gave the firearm to the pastor without first receiving permission to do so while he was on church duty.
Upon being questioned, he revealed that he had given the firearm to the pastor so that he could use it as a demonstration during the worship service.
Moreover, with the pastor, Audu is currently held in custody. However, the commissioner of police of FCT, Sadiq Abubakar, has recommended to Inspector-General Usman Baba that Audu should be fired, and an orderly room trial is scheduled to take place against him.
Court Trial Rescheduled for the Second Time
A report from Premium Times stated that due to the absence of a defense attorney named Uche Uzukwu, the court rescheduled the hearing on Tuesday, Apr.25, and set another trial session for the following Tuesday, May 2.
However, because Mr. Uzukwu was not present again in court on Tuesday, the judge had no choice but to postpone the proceeding. As mentioned, during the resumption of their hearing, the parties involved informed the judge that their attorney, Mr. Uzukwu, had left on vacation and was finding a new legal representative.
Judge Abdulaziz Ismail stated that under Section 36 Subsection 6 of the constitution, the accused had the right to be represented by an attorney and stand by themselves. The judge insisted that his earlier ruling, which said that the case would be heard one week at a time, was still in effect, and he added that the defendants were being tried for a criminal offense.
In pursuit of justice and fairness, the court's judge postponed the trial until Wednesday, May 10, to thoroughly investigate the case. According to the 21 Century Chronicle, while the accused were giving a message about faith in the local church, they used a gun as an example to illustrate their point.
The attorney for the prosecution stated that the defendants made remarks to the congregation of the church that was inflammatory and intimidating and that these words could create panic and an infringement of peace. The offense was reportedly illegal under the Firearms Act of 2004 and violated the Penal Code.
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