Felix Okpara Duruebube, Overseer of Mercy House Church International, has been remanded to the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre, Rivers state after failure to meet up his bail condition on arraignment before Chief Magistrate Anugbum O.N of Chief Magistrate Court 24 for alleged child defilement.
The State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) arraigned Duruebube, 39 on charge sheet N0.PMC/1025c/2022 on two
Counts.
Count 1 read that, “You Felix Okpara Duruebube between the month of April 2021 to May, 2022 at Ray JPE Hotel Rumuokoro, Mercy House Church Branch Iwofe and N0.42A Road 12 Rumuaholu PortHarcourt in PortHarcourt Magisterial District did unlawfully and sexually abused one ‘f’ a girl of 16/17 years by inserting your penis into her vagina and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 32(1)(2) of Child rights at CAP 50 law of Rivers State, 2003.
“Count11 read that :You Felix Okpara Duruebube sometimes in month of December, 2021 at Mercy house church International headquarters Eliozu in the same aforementioned Magisterial District did unlawfully force one ‘f’ a girl of 16/17 years old to take an oath with you not to sleep with another man or tell anybody that she is having sex with you, else she will run mad and die thereby committed an offence under section 208 of the criminal code of CAP 37 Vol .11 laws of Nigeria 2004.”
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail by Chief Magistrate Anugbum O.N with two surety in like of 2 Million Naira and one of the sureties must be a Bishop, the second surety, a relation with landed property within the Magisterial District.
The court remanded the accused to prison custody for failure to meet the bail conditions as the case was adjourned to July 7,2022 for continuation of trial.
Adata Bio- Briggs, Rivers Chairperson, International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, pushing for the trial on behalf of the alleged victim, said the organization is pleased with the condition of bail given to the accused by the trial Magistrate.
The FIDA chairperson tasked religious faithful to test all spirit and mind worship centres they go to, frowning at the situation where men of God encourage settlement of criminal matters to save face just as she vowed that FIDA will follow up to ensure justice is served in the matter.