BY ANTHONY OCHELA, ABUJA
Arraignment of Reverend Israel Akanji, a former resident pastor of First Baptist Church, Garki, Abuja, and five others over alleged N620 million fraud was yesterday stalled, due to the absence of the prosecution counsel.
The case, marked CR/1045/24, was scheduled for Thursday for the arraignment of the defendants before Justice J. A Aina of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Kwali.
When the case was called, the trial judge announced that the court received a letter from the prosecution seeking an adjournment, citing his official engagement at the National Assembly.
However, Adeniyi Akintola, SAN, who represented the defendants, told the court that the defendants have not been served with the prosecution’s letter for adjournment and informed the court of an application seeking to quash the charges against the defendants.
Akintola who expressed surprise at the prosecution’s absence stated that the defense was ready to proceed in the matter.
Justice Aina however said, since the prosecution’s letter is properly before the court, it is proper to grant the adjournment in the interest of justice and that, the proper thing to do was for the prosecution to serve the defence with the letter.
The case was subsequently adjourned till May 27 for further arraignment.
Akanji is being tried alongside Rev. Thomas Ekugbene Takpatore, Mr. Babatunde Adebayo, Mrs. Adenike Adebayo, Mr. Oladele Afolabi, and Mrs. Gloria Olotu on charges of conspiracy, forgery, and criminal misappropriation of church funds.
According to the charge sheet, the defendants allegedly conspired in 2021 to commit a felony, violating Section 97 of the Penal Code. The prosecution further alleges that between 2012 and 2021, the defendants forged an amended version of the church’s constitution, falsely attributing it to the late Barrister Akin Aina, who was the church’s legal adviser and secretary of the Board of Trustees.
This act, the prosecution argued, contravenes Sections 362 and 364 of the Penal Code.
The prosecution also alleged that, the defendants misappropriated N620 million belonging to the church, converting the funds for personal use. These allegations fall under Sections 308, 309, 311, and 312 of the Penal Code, which address criminal breach of trust and fraudulent conversion of property.
In addition, the prosecution, led by Wisdom Madaki, alleged that the forged church constitution was fraudulently used in 2022, an offense punishable under Section 366 of the Penal Code.
