Sunday 20 March 2016

Prophet Divine court case fires on



By Bah Ita
The case between the People of Cameroon and the Nigerian-born, Muea-Buea based Self-described Major Prophet Divine C. Okafor was last Thursday 17th March 2016 re-adjourned again to Thursday 21st April, 2016 at 11am prompt.
                The over an hour court hearing at the Buea High court chambers last week was presided at by the examining magistrate and President of the High court who after authorizing the reading of the counts that led to the appearance of the said accused prophet in court and following claims advanced by his five-man defense counsel headed by Barrister TanyiMbi Joseph and the civil party counsel championed by Barrister EtabesongNouvelisa, following repeated response by the accused person  of“Not guilty”,  forthe need of sufficient facts, and also bearing on the request from the Defense counsel for the hearing to be held in camera, then rolled that the case should be adjourned to the 21st of April 2016.
                The twenty five counts charged against Major Prophet Divine C. Okafor pursed into repeated sexual harassment, death threats, caressing of lapses of some young girls without their consent, the period of acts reportedly committed stretches across the months of March, April, May, June, July, October of 2015 and others carried out sometime in 2014.

                The counts on sexual assault, death threats, among many read out in the Buea high court was committed against a certain Miss Bessem Catherine, Biakop C. Yvette, Nyanga  Elisabeth, Linda-CarineBasaka, his fellow Christians. It was revealed in one of the counts that the prophet had staged a death threat to a friend of a certain Julie EfufeMungo, one of his bedmate, after a pregnancy test proved positive sometime in 2014.
                In his defense, Barrister TanyiMbi Joseph contested the charge reportedly penned by another Miss M.T Marie-Prisca and six others. His claim was that the charge ‘M.T Marie-Prisca and six others’ was baseless and embarrassing. Immediately, the examining magistrate Justice raised a court motion for an amendment, thereafter it was transformed  to ‘the people of Cameroon and Pastor Divine C. Okafor’, and the college of legal minds in attendance responded “ as the court so pleases”.
                According to the Cameroon Penal code Law, private indecency in aggravated form is punishable in article 295(b) and conditional threats is subject to punishment according to article 302(2) of the Penal Code.
                The places where the acts were committed according to the court counts are his Life Transformer Ministry premises, his mile 18 Muea residence, and his vehicle.
                Post to the Bench warrant issued, the Defense counsel Barrister Tanyi told the court session that his client was cut off by traffic due to the fact that the said March 10th 2016, happened to be the usual Muea market day and further explained that they survived the traffic storm after a fast drive through the Buea town neighborhood and only arrived the court premises five minutes after 10 o’clock am. He stated that the accused being a responsible man and subscriber to Cameroon state laws should be granted bail.
                The civil party counsel Barrister EtabesongNouvelisa expressed fear that the accused being a Nigerian could escape trail. It is against this backdrop that the self-proclaimed prophet Divine C. Okafor was granted bail for one million francs together with two Cameroonians sureties.
Barrister Tanyi however requested for an in camera hearing beginning next court appearance.
Ten of the reportedly harassed and threaten fourteen victims showed up in court. 
                The next court hearing is slated for Thursday April 21st 2016 at 11am. The April court session it should be noted will remain in camera as the court did pleased.
                Prophet Divine C, Okafor was arrested last February 2016 provoked by reports filed in from the National Commission on Human Rights South West Office to the Buea court on repeated cases of rape, sexual harassment among other charges. He was issued a bench warrant last march 10th, 22106 an have just escaped a search warrant according to the Cameroon Criminal Procedurrt5 e Code law.        
Pic
Prophet Divine C. Okafor

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