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Court frees ex-Baptist pastor, five others over N620m fraud allegation

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A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has dismissed a criminal charge involving an alleged N620 million fraud against former First Baptist Church, Garki pastor, Rev. Israel Akanji, and five others.

The court, presided over by Justice John Aina, discharged all the defendants in case No. M/CR/1045/2025, which was instituted by the Inspector General of Police. The dismissal followed a motion by the defence challenging the validity of the five-count charge of alleged forgery brought against them by the Nigeria Police Force.

Justice Aina ruled that the documents submitted alongside the motion, which the prosecution did not contest, failed to establish a prima facie case against the accused. He emphasised that in law, unchallenged affidavits are considered admitted facts.

The court also noted that the defendants’ motion, which questioned the court’s jurisdiction, was served on the prosecution as far back as February 13, 2025, yet no response or counter-affidavit was filed.

“The issue of jurisdiction is fundamental and must be determined before any substantive matter is heard,” the judge stated, adding that any proceedings conducted without proper jurisdiction would be null and void.

Having found no legal basis to proceed, Justice Aina granted all the reliefs sought in the motion and discharged the defendants.

Though the lead prosecution counsel was absent, defence counsel Mr. Bassey Effiong, who stood in for Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), commended the court for its “thorough and well-reasoned judgment.”

The other discharged defendants are Rev. Thomas Ekugbene Takpatore, Mr. Babatunde Adebayo, Mrs. Adenike Adebayo, Mr. Oladele Afolabi, and Mrs. Gloria Olotu.

According to the original charge sheet, the defendants allegedly conspired in 2021 to commit forgery by amending the church’s constitution and falsely attributing the changes to the late Barr. Akin Aina, the church’s legal adviser and Board Secretary—an act said to contravene Section 97 of the Penal Code.

In a motion supported by a 60-paragraph affidavit, six exhibits, and a written address, the defence argued that the charges lacked merit and were not brought on behalf of the church’s Board of Trustees.

Chief Akintola insisted there was no evidence tying the accused to any financial misconduct. “There’s no complainant claiming missing funds. The 5,000-member church hasn’t raised any allegations. The charges are based on an individual’s claims, unsupported by the evidence,” he argued.

The prosecution counsel, Veronica Visan, apologized for failing to respond to the motion and requested more time to do so. However, her request was strongly opposed by the defence, which pointed out the repeated delays caused by the prosecution.