Abuja Pastor Imprisoned For Raping Small Girls

An Abuja High Court judge, Hussein Baba-Yusuf, on Wednesday, ordered that Apostle Basil Princewill be incarcerated in Kuje Prison while awaiting his prosecution for rape charges. The judge gave the order just after the suspect's counsel, Esther Uzoma, complained that her client had not yet been issued a copy of his charges by the prosecution. Esther Uzoma argued that following due legal procedures, any suspect in a crime should first be served with a copy of the charges, to aid in the adequate preparation of his/her defence. She said that her client was ignorant of his crime and unprepared for any defence. In his ruling, Baba-Yusuf ordered the prosecution to effect service of the charges and other court processes on the counsel to the suspect.   Chuka Mitchel, the counsel to the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, had, in a suit, alleged that sometime in March, Princewill, the General Overseer of Mountain Movers Fire Ministries Church in Nyanya, Abuja, raped and assaulted two 14-year-old girls. It was earlier reported that the judge permitted the FCT police command to apprehend the Pastor on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy, criminal impersonation, criminal intimidation.    On Friday, July 6, Princewill and Paulyn Ode, the coordinator of the church, were brought before a Chief Magistrate Court in Karuon the charges of conspiracy, criminal impersonation, criminal intimidation and assault.