Pastor, Oba Tango Over Ritual Sacrifice

There was a fierce battle between a monarch, the Ologudu of Ogudu in Lagos State and a pastor, Mike Emmanuel over a sacrifice the Ogudu community offered to the gods at the town’s round about.

P.M.NEWS learnt that some months ago, the community noticed a chain of unusual events like women dying during child labour. The Ologudu, Oba Waidi Fashola consulted with the elders who invited Ifa priests from four states in Nigeria.

After their divinations, the priests prescribed a sacrifice which they advised the community to offer to the gods in a calabash to be placed at the town’s round about.

However, after the people had obeyed the biddings of their gods, Pastor Emmanuel and some of his men appeared at the scene. The pastor claimed that God told him to set fire on the sacrifice. The monarch was alerted. But before Oba Fashola could arrive the round about, the deed had been done.

But the people in the vicinity assisted the traditional ruler to arrest the pastor and three of his aides while others escaped. They were dragged to the police station where a charge was preferred against them.

The police prosecutor, ASP Eyo Owai, arraigned the pastor, Mike Emmanuel, 37, Tayo Adeniyi, 53, Muyiwa Olorunesan, 30, and Olatunji Eniafe, 42, on a one count charge of conduct likely to cause breach of the peace by setting ablaze a calabash containing sacrifice to the gods by the Ogudu community. They were charged before the Ikeja Magistrate’s court sitting at Ogudu.

The prosecutor alleged that the suspects committed the offence on 27 February, 2011 at the Ogudu round about in Ikeja, Lagos State. He added that the offence is punishable under Section 249(d) of the Criminal Code Cap 17 vol. II Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

When the charge was read to them, the four suspects pleaded not guilty.

Their counsel, O.A. Ube asked the court to grant his clients bail in liberal terms. The lawyer to the Ologudu of Ogudu, Barrister Tijani Ishola did not object to the bail application but he noted that the community spent N500,000 on the sacrifice the suspects set ablaze.

The trial magistrate, Mrs Y.O. Aje Afunwa admitted each of the suspects to bail in the sum of N50,000 and one surety each in like sum. She adjourned the case till 28 March, 2011 for mention.

The pastor and the other co-accused persons were ordered to be remanded in prison custody because they could not meet the bail conditions in good time.

—Oluwatunmise Ige