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Lagos govt arraigns cleric for violating stay-at-home order
The Lagos State Government Wednesday arraigned the General Overseer of Resurrection Praise Ministries for Africa, Bishop Samson Benjamin, at the Igbosere Magistrate Court for allegedly violating the government’s restriction of movement order.
Benjamin was arrested on Tuesday opposite the Chinese Embassy in Lagos where he allegedly led a number of people to protest the maltreatment of Nigerians in the East Asian nation.
The preacher was arraigned alongside one Jerry Abel and Samson Mustapha on a three-count charge of violating the stay-at-home order and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.
Officials of the Chinese Embassy sent a video clip of the alleged invasion to the police and this prompted the arrest of the defendants by officers of the Victoria Island Division of the Nigeria Police Force.
The trio were thereafter moved to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Panti, Yaba Lagos.
At Wednesday’s proceeding, a Director in the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution, Dr. Jide Martins, told the court that the defendants had on Tuesday led a protest to the Chinese Embassy in Victoria Island Lagos.
According to Martins, the defendants’ actions contravened the COVID-19 Regulation and are punishable under Section 5 Quarantine Act and Section 122 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2015.
However, Magistrate Yewande Oshin, granted the cleric bail in the sum of N1million and two sureties in like sum.
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She also granted Abel and Mustapha bail in the sum of N500,000 each with two sureties each in like sum.
She ordered that one of the sureties must be a cleric of a church with a minimum of three branches.
All the sureties are also expected to produce evidence of three years tax payment to Lagos State government, evidence of means of livelihood and they must be residents of the state. Watch the video below:
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