For allegedly staging, falsely publishing and posting his own obituary on social media to evade payment of three million naira borrowed from a church member, a pastor, Paul Oyewole, was dragged before an Akure Magistrate Court, in Ondo State.
The 43-year-old cleric was said to have fraudulently obtained the money from Boyede Emmanuel with a pledge to pay back the money within a week, of which he failed.
Police Prosecutor, Akao Moremi, informed the court that the defendant, alleged to have “falsely published and posted his obituary on WhatsApp after he had sent a fake alert to U.B.A account No. 2140338283, knowing fully that he did not have such an amount in his bank account.”
He was further alleged to have “threatened the complainant on phone, with the intent to intimidate him and also conducted himself in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace, by stripping himself naked in front of the complainant’s house.”
Moremi said the defendant committed the offence between November 25, 2021, and May 7, 2022, along the Valentino area in Ondo town.
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He furthered that the offence is contrary to and punishable under Sections 419, 86, and 125A(1) of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Volume 1, Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.
The cleric, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.
However, the prosecutor told the court that he would call four witnesses to testify and applied for a date to enable him to study the case file.
Queen Arokoyo, the defendant’s counsel, applied for the bail in most liberal terms, promising that the defendant would not jump bail, but stand his trial.
The presiding Magistrate, Mosunmola Ikujuni, granted the defendant a million naira bail with two credible sureties each in like sum, adding that one of the sureties must be a house owner, residing within the jurisdiction.
The case was further adjourned till February 13, 2023, for hearing.
