A chief magistrate court in the federal capital territory (FCT) has ruled that Uche Aigbe, presiding pastor of the House On The Rock Church, Abuja, has a case to answer over alleged unlawful possession of firearms.
On February 12, pictures surfaced on social media showing Aigbe with an AK-47 rifle while preaching.
The church said the pastor used the gun to illustrate a message on “guarding your faith”.
Shortly after, the FCT police command announced the arrest of the pastor and Musa Audu, the police inspector said to have handed over his rifle to the cleric, and who is also the church’s chief security officer.
Subsequently, the police charged Aigbe in court over criminal conspiracy, illegal possession of prohibited firearms, inciting disturbance and criminal intimidation to which he pleaded not guilty.
He was arraigned alongside Promise Ukachukwu and Olakunle Ogunleye — both pastors in the same church.
Aigbe and his co-defendants then filed a no-case submission, praying the court to quash the charge against them for want of incriminating evidence capable of warranting their trial and conviction.
However, delivering a ruling on Thursday, Abdulazeez Muhammad, the presiding magistrate, said the evidence adduced by the prosecution has established a prima facie case against the defendants.
The magistrate read out all the three counts preferred against the defendants.
Aigbe has since apologised publicly for using an unloaded rifle to illustrate his sermon.
According to him, the incident has left him “disappointed in himself“.
THE CHARGES
Count one: “That you, Pastor Uche Aigbe, male, of No.21 Mambila Plateau Galadimawa and Pastor Okachukwu Promise, male, of Mba Pada House off Galadimawa Roundabout, on the 12th day of February 2023 at the House on the Rock Church, situate at Oladipo Diya Street Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, had in your possession one{1} AK47 rifle{with breach No.3368} without a licence or formal authorization. You thereby committed the offence of unlawful possession of prohibited firearms, contrary to s 3 of the FIREARMS ACT CAP F 28 LAWS OF THE FEDERATION 2004 and punishable under section 27{1b} of the same ACT”
Count two: “That you, Pastor Uche Aigbe, male, of No. 21 Mambila Plateau Galadimawa, Abuja, on the 12th day of February 2023 at the House on the Rock Church, situate at Oladipo Diya Street, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did make some inflammatory statements with intent to cause or likely to cause breach of peace to wit: you are calling people to take up arms in order to propagate and defend their faith. Thereby committed the offence of inciting disturbance, contrary to s 114 PENAL CODE ACT and punishable under the same section.”
Count three: “That you, Pastor Olakunle Ogunleye, male, of plot 735, Behind Games Village Kaura, Abuja, on the 12th day of February 2023 at the House on the Rock Church, situate at Oladipo Diya Street, Abuja, abetted the unlawful possession of prohibited firearms by Pastor Uche Aigbe and Pastor Okachukwu Promise to wit; with a view to facilitating illegal possession of prohibited firearms, you procured Inspector Musa Abdu, who was standing on his duty post to surrender his rifle to the said pastors. Thereby committed the offence of abetment contrary to the provision of s 83 of the Penal Code Act and punishable under s 85 of the same Act.”
