Enugu State born Prophet Destiny Onwudinjo of Heaven Divine Ministry, Shasha, a suburb of Lagos State, has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine for absconding from court to evade trial.
The sentence was handed to the Prophet after pleading guilty to an attempted evasion of justice when his trial commenced by the presiding Magistrate P.E. Nwaka of Ejigbo Court, the prophet caused a stir at the court recently when he suddenly jumped from the dock and ran out of the court where he was facing criminal charge of fraud and assault.
The prosecutor, Mr Femi Adeleye, and some of the court officials ran after him and re-arrested him along the street of Lagos. His action disrupted the court’s proceedings as the litigants rushed out of the court due to the rowdiness that ensued.
Prophet Onwudinjo was facing trial in the court after he was arrested by the police at Shasha Division for brutalizing a commercial motorcycle rider called Chika Izuogu for refusing to pay him N120,000 for deliverance prayer. The incident took place at Olukosi Street, Shasha, Lagos where they both reside.
According to Izuogu, Onwudinjo told him that he had a revelation from God and that he needed to embark on seven days deliverance prayer so that his condition would improve for the better. He claimed that the prophet had explained to him that the money he asked him to pay covered the fasting and other spiritual materials he would use for the deliverance.
To convince Izuogu that the prayer will work after seven days, he told him that he will receive a divine blessing from God as an unknown person will give him N3 million he would use to start a new life and become rich.
The disagreement started when Izuogu, who seemed to have been convinced, told Onwudinjo that he would do the fasting by himself because he had no such amount to give him and in the process, Onwudinjo allegedly beat up Izuogu and injured him.
Izuogu said he held him and raised an alarm which attracted neighbours who contacted the policemen that arrested the prophet. After police investigation, Onwudinjo was charged to court with assault and attempt to obtain money under false pretences.
It was while in court for the charges that he bolted and had re-arrested. When he was re-arraigned, the presiding Magistrate, Mr Peter. E. Nwaka ordered him to be remanded in prison custody at Kirikiri. The court also directed the prosecutor to prepare another contempt charge against him for escaping from the court.
When the prosecutor arraigned him, he pleaded guilty of trying to escape from court and assaulting Izuogu before the court. He was sentenced accordingly.
