Prophet Melody Adjija.
Ovedhe Hezekiah – Warri
A prophet in one of the end – time churches in Warri, Delta state, Prophet Melody Adjija, who was arrested for fake miracles have lost a N2billion case he filed against the police.
Prophet Adjija, who is the general overseer of Light Way Ministries (better known as “last bus stop”) was arrested in 2019 alongside an accomplice for staging fake miracles and extorting money from people.
The prophet was said to have been praying for “yahoo boys” and using offering made by deceiving people with fake miracles to acquire choice properties.
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Prophet Melody Adjija was arrested by the Ebrumede police division, Warri, Delta state where he confessed in a video which went viral that he pays people N5,000 to fake miracles in his church located at Enerhen Road behind Dolphin Micro-Finance Bank Warri.
The prophet sued the Commissioner of Police Delta state and the former DPO of Ebrumede police division, Chief Superintendent of Police, Anietie Eyoh, who arrested him, for fundamental right violation.
Prophet Adjija through his lawyer, Barr Omemiroro Ogedegbe, served a N2billion fundamental right violation suit against
the Commissioner of Police and CSP Eyoh.
The cleric through his counsel contested that he was filmed while making a confessional statement to the police.
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Adjija said the video of his confessional statement was published and exposed online to the public by the Police, hence, he argued that the Police lacked the powers to film suspects while extracting confessional statement from them.
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In response, a Police lawyer, DSP Sunny Irabor insisted that the Police have the powers to film suspects while taking statements from them in line with Section 15 (Subsection 4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
Section 15(Subsection 4 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act,2015 read thus,”Where a suspect who is arrested author without a warrant volunteers to make a confessional statement, the Police shall ensure that the making and taking of the statement shall be in writing and may be recorded electronically on a retrievable video compact disc or such other audio visual means.”
The Police lawyer at the Court argued that the Police was not responsible for the filming which the prophet laid claims to and as such, the Police should not be held responsible.
DSP Irabor at the Court also argued that the former DPO lost his mobile phone which was alleged to have been used for the filming of the Prophet.
He noted that the said DPO made a complaint to that effect before the said publication of the video and the complaint was entered as exhibit at trial.
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DSP Irabor further urged the Court to dismiss the cleric’s application against the Police given the points raised.
The Delta State High Court 2 sitting on Thursday 14th May, at Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area, struck out the case for lack of merit.
Delivering judgment in the case with Suit No:EHC/M/64/2019, the Court presided over by Justice N. Mudainohwo said the prophet’s application is “frivolous” and “lacking in merit”.
The Judge held that the filming of the applicant was in line with Section 15(Subsection 4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
Counsel to the Prophet, Barr Omemiroro Ogedegbe, in a telephone chat with our correspondent said the case was struck out in favour of the Police. “The Court strike out the case in favour of the police.”
