Justice Ambrose Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos State, has ordered that Ayotunde Richards, a gospel singer and former member of Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries (MFM), should be remanded at Ikoyi Custodial Centre. This is pending the hearing of Ayotunde Richards’ bail application scheduled for Wednesday.
His counsel, Mr Adesina Ogunlana told SaharaReporters on Monday that his client was charged and arraigned before the court earlier in the day. “Ayotunde Richards will be brought back to the court before Justice Allagoa on Wednesday for his bail application.
“Also today, he was at the Lagos High Court, Ikeja for his own case before Justice D.T. Olatokun. That was for his fundamental human rights application and that was adjourned to April 29, 2024,” Ogunlana said.
The Nigeria Police Force had filed charges against Ayotunde Richards over a petition from Davidson Adejuwon, who is a lawyer and reportedly an aide to the MFM church founder, Dr Daniel Olukoya. Ayotunde was arrested in connection with the case last Monday. In the petition, the lawyer accused Ayotunde and others of sundry acts of cyberbullying and making libellous claims against Olukoya.
Davidson filed the petition as counsel for one Mrs Sanni, an aide to Olukoya reportedly saddled with the cleric’s social media concerns about Olukoya. The petition was not filed on behalf of Olukoya. Ayotunde Richards had also filed a suit against the General Overseer of the church, Pastor Olukoya, over an alleged breach of his fundamental human rights.
Other respondents in the case are Davison Olaniran Adejuwon Esq; Superintendent of Police Tawose Ayoleyi Ajayi and the Nigeria Police Force. Olukoya, Davidson, Ajayi and the Nigeria Police Force are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Respondents respectively. Ayotunde who was the leader of the cleric’s backup singers alleged that Olukoya locked him up at the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon, Ikoyi for eight days. He described his detention by the police as illegal, oppressive and a brazen abuse of power.
SaharaReporters reported on Friday that Justice Olatokun of the High Court in Ikeja had ordered the immediate release of Ayotunde. This was confirmed to SaharaReporters in a video by his lawyer, Adesina Ogunlana. However, the police refused to comply with the order. According to the documents obtained on Friday, 12 counts bordering on cyberbullying and libel were filed against Ayotunde Richards at a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The charges were filed on March 11, 2024, by N. W. Uhumwangho, Esq., prosecuting counsel and Senior Legal Officer at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (CIID) in Yaba, Lagos.
Count 4 reads: “That you, Ayotunde Richards ‘m’, on or about the month of December 2023 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court did intentional send defamatory message or other matter of communication via blogging platform known as ‘Moment of Truth’ a social network captioned: “Olukoya told lies to my form RCCG Pastor to flush me out of the church.
He doesn’t behave like a Pastor at all which is grossly offensive, false and for the purpose of causing annoyance, insult, injury, criminal intimidation or needless anxiety to the prejudice of Dr. Olukoya and the Incorporated Trustees of the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries message you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 24(1)(b)(2)(a)(i) of the Cybercrimes (prohibition, prevention, ETC) Act 2015.”
Another count reads, “That you, Ayotunde Richards ‘m’, sometimes in February 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, did intentional send a defamatory message or other matter by means of your Facebook handle: “Ayotunde Richard” captioned “Pastor employing a criminal Police officer to detain his perceived enemy is NOT the power of God it is religious hooliganism”, which is grossly offensive, false and for the purpose of causing annoyance, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, needless anxiety to the prejudice of Dr. Daniel Olukoya and the Incorporated Trustee of the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries, a message you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 24(1)(b)(2)(a)(i) of the Cybercrimes (prohibition, prevention, ETC) Act, 2015.”
Count 9 reads, “That you, Ayotunde Richards ‘m’, sometimes in February 2024, in Lagos, with the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, did intentional sent a defamatory message or other matter by means of your Facebook handle: “Ayotunde Richard” captioned “Please rescue me from this woman and my former General Overseer. They are threatening to assassinate me, leaving a church should not end my life”, which is grossly offensive, false and for the purpose of causing annoyance, insult, injury, criminal intimidation or needless anxiety to the prejudice of Dr. Daniel Olukoya, the Incorporated Trustees of the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries, a message you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence punishable under Sec 24(1)(b)(2)(a)(i) of the Cybercrimes (prohibition, prevention, ETC) Act, 2015.”
Count 10 reads, “That you, Ayotunde Richards ‘m’, sometimes in February 2024, in Lagos, in the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, did intentional sent a defamatory message or other matter by means of your Facebook handle: “Ayotunde Richard” captioned ‘This Church practically worships the Police. What are they looking for again in the house??” which is grossly offensive, false and for the purpose of causing annoyance, insult, injury, criminal intimidation or needless anxiety to the prejudice of Dr. Daniel Olukoya and the Incorporated Trustees of the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries, a message you knew to be false and thereby commit fence punishable under Section 24(1)(b)(2)(a)(i) of the Cybercrimes (prohibition, prevention, ETC) Act, 2015.”
