Lagos, Nigeria - An Ikeja High Court judge, Justice Olabisi Akinlade, has threatened to vacate the bail earlier granted a tele-evangelist and head, Genesis Parish of the Celestial Church of Christ, Alagbado, Lagos, Israel Ola-Ogundipe, on technical grounds.
The judge said he has decided never to warn the defendant any longer over his continued absence from court proceedings.
"I do not think the defendant understands the process of the court of law. If he does not, his counsel should. If by next court hearing the defendant is not in this court, I would have no option than to invalidate his bail and get him arrested," the jugde said.
The pastor is standing trial over N17 million fraud allegations. He was said to have swindled a London-based architect, Mrs. Oladele Williams-Oni, the said sum when she went to the pastor's church for spiritual help.
In her evidence before Justice Olabisi Akinlade, the plaintiff said that Pastor Ola-Ogundipe wanted to swindle her of her landed property and that she had entrusted the accused person with her money to procure some landed property on her behalf because she thought he was a 'good pastor.'