Female ‘Evangelist’ In Prison For Making False Allegations Against Pastor Lazarus Of Lord’s Chosen

An evangelist who made false allegations against the General Overseer of the Lord’s Chosen ministries has gotten into trouble with the law.An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court has remanded a 45-year-old woman, Juliet Uche Ezeonye Idu [a.k.a. Evangelist], in prison custody for making false allegation and criminal intimidation against the General Overseer, Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, Pastor Lazarus Muoka.According to Leadership, the suspect, who has been on the wanted list of the police since 2013, was arraigned before the court by the Force Criminal Investigation Department [FCID] for giving false information with intent to mislead a public servant and defamation contrary to sections 140 and 392 of the Penal Code law as well as alleged criminal intimidation contrary to section 397 [b] of the Penal Code Law.

Although, she pleaded not guilty to the charge, her bail application which was moved by her lawyer, C.P. Ezedebe, was overruled by Chief Magistrate Azubike Ikaogwu on the grounds that no sufficient materials were placed before the court to warrant the granting of bail.

Chief Magistrate Ikaogwu said the offence of criminal intimidation was not ordinarily a bailable offence since it carries a seven-year sentence upon conviction and therefore sufficient materials were needed to be placed before the court for its consideration.

According to the First information Report, Mrs. Idu had on July 19, 2012 written a false petition to the then Inspector General of Police alleging that Pastor Lazarus Muoka hired the services Barrister Victor Ukut and Mr. Chidi Louise [who were subsequently arrested and detained by the police], to kidnap her, knowing that the said information was false.

The report dated December 21, 2015 reads:

“The Inspector General of Police was on the 19th July 2012, at Police Force headquarters, Area 11 Garki, Abuja, Mrs. Juliet Uche Idu, alias evangelist [Mrs.] Juliet Uche Ezeonye Idu ‘f’ by way of petition which she knew to be false, or believed to be false, intending thereby to cause IGP, a public officer, to use his lawful power to arrest and cause to be detained Barr. Victor Ukut and Mr. Chidi Louise on the false allegations that Pastor Lazarus Mouka procured her alleged attempted kidnap, a thing he would not have done if he had known the true facts of the case; to their injury or annoyance, intending to harm their reputation or having reason to believe that such imputations that they are kidnappers or attempted kidnappers will harm their reputation and thereby committed an offence of false information with intent to mislead a public servant and defamation contrary to sections 140 and 392 of the Penal Code law as well as alleged criminal intimidation contrary to section 397 [b] of the Penal Code Law.”