Church members arrested during service for noise pollution
38047
The
police in Lagos have arrested six persons for allegedly disturbing the
peace of residents of Olaomibiyi Street, Ogba, during a church service.
The members – Ngozichukwu Onyebuchi
(44), Clement Eromosele (26), Chukwudi Akwegbu (26), Chibuzor Chukwu
(18), Godspower Enudi (21) and Okorie Livonus (36) – were arraigned in a
Lagos Magistrate’s Court sitting in Ogba.
They were accused of converting a residential apartment to a church.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the
landlord and residents of the building where the defendants gathered to
worship had complained that the congregation caused noise pollution
whenever they prayed.
They were said to have cautioned the worshippers to lower their voices, but the members reportedly declined.
Our correspondent gathered that the
church was reported to the police at the Pen Cinema division, who
arrested the six members on January 14 during Sunday service, while the
others were said to be at large.
They were brought before a Chief
Magistrate, Mrs. T. Akanni, on two counts of engaging in a conduct
capable of causing a breach of the peace.
The offence, according to a police
prosecutor, Inspector Clifford Ogu, is punishable under sections 410 and
166 (1) (d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.
The charges read, “That you, Ngozichukwu
Onyebuchi, Clement Eromosele, Chukwudi Akwegbu, Chibuzor Chukwu,
Godspower Enudi and Okorie Livonus, and others still at large on
Olaomibiyi Street, Ogba, Lagos, on January 14, 2016, at about 8am in the
Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire to commit felony to wit:
conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.
“That you and others still at large on
the same date, time and place, in the aforementioned magisterial
district, did unlawfully convert the residential apartment of the
aforementioned house to a church and disturb peace of the landlord and
other tenants as you were praying on top of your voice, thereby
committing an offence punishable under Section 166 (1) (d) of the
Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.”
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and elected summary trial.
The presiding magistrate, Akanni,
admitted them to bail in the sum of N50,000 each with two sureties each
in like sum. The magistrate added that the sureties must provide
evidence of tax payments and their residential addresses to the court
for the perfection of the defendants’ bail.
The case was adjourned till February 15, 2016, for mention
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