Siblings docked for allegedly engaging in disrupting church service

Two siblings, Folake Ajefemi, 34 and Ayodeji Ajefemi, 36, on Friday, appeared before an Ogudu Magistrates’ Court for allegedly engaging in a public fight and bathing a pastor with dirty water during a church service.

The siblings, a sister and brother, who both reside in Ketu, Lagos, are facing a five-count charge bordering on breach of peace, threat to life and obstruction.

They, however, pleaded not guilty to the offences.

The Prosecutor, Insp Donjour Perezi, told the court that the defendants committed the offences on May 2 at Ajefemi St., Ketu, Lagos.

Perezi said that the female defendant and the complainant, Ireti Ajefemi, who is her sister in-law, engaged in a public fight.

He said that the female defendant unlawfully disrupted a religious worship at Ibukun Orisun Iye Cherubim and Seraphim Church by screaming, abusing, threatening and chasing away the worshippers while the service was going on.

He said that the defendant conducted herself in a manner likely to cause breach of peace by preventing the complainant from attending a church service and pouring dirty water on her.

The prosecutor further stated that the defendant threatened to kill the complainant and forcefully obstructed her from officiating in the church where she was a minister.

He said that the second defendant, Ajefemi’s brother, willfully disrupted the worshippers by using a machete to chase them away while the service was going on.

Perezi added that the second defendant prevented the worshippers from attending the service and threatened to kill the complainant with the machete he was holding.

He said that the complainant reported to the police that the defendants poured a bucket of urine on her and had threatened to beat her up simply because she warned them to stop living in the church and move out.

According to him, the offences contravene Sections 54, 56(a,b),125,126 and 168(d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

He said that sections 125/126 prescribed one year imprisonment each for disrupting religious worship and preventing any minister of religion from lawfully officiating in any place of religious worship.

He added that section 54 prescribed six months for anyone who took part in a public fight, while section 56 prescribed one year imprisonment for anyone threatening violence.

The Magistrate, Mrs M.O. Tanimola, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N100,000 each, with two sureties each in like sum.

Tanimola, who ordered that their addresses be verified, adjourned the case till June 29.