Credit: Screenshot from IG clip
The Senior Shepherd-in-Charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Genesis Global, Prophet Israel Ogundipe, who had been serving a one-year jail sentence for stealing, returned to the church today to a tumultuous welcome.
A video posted on the church Instagram page captured the excitement of the church members as the prophet made his appearance in church.
The three-man panel of the Court of Appeal in Lagos had on April 1 granted Ogundipe a post-conviction bail on the grounds of health.
Prophet Ogundipe was on November 18 sentenced to imprisonment by Justice Olabisi Akinlade for stealing and converting the property of a London-based architect, Mrs. Oladele Williams-Oni to his personal use.
Ogundipe faced a seven count-charge bordering on obtaining by stealing, inducing delivery of money by false pretences, unlawful conversion of property and forgery.
He was accused of fraudulently collecting N14m and £12,000 in various tranches from the complainant between August 30, 2002 and 2005.
Justice Akinlade ordered that the prophet should pay the complainant the sum of N11m, which he obtained from her illegally.
The convict’s lawyer, Babatunde Ogala (SAN), subsequently appealed the judgement and approached the appeal court for bail pending the hearing of the appeal and an application to quash the conviction.
The appeal was anchored on the grounds that the prophet was diabetic, requiring a strict diet and constant specialised medical attention he could not get in custody. This, he argued had taken a toll on his health and made him “gaunt in appearance.”
Justice Abdullahi Bayero in his ruling said: “There are criteria for granting a convict bail. These include that the applicant must be a first-time offender or have a serious health condition.
“The applicant seeking bail pending appeal before the court is a first-time offender and he has also shown to the court that he is having hypertension, peptic ulcer, unending malaria, and diabetes, which are serious health conditions.”
