Ebere Emmanuel Amadi, the presiding pastor of the Tree of Life Bible Church in Irete, Owerri West Local Government Area, has been remanded in prison after several weeks of evading arrest. He was apprehended by officers from the Ogbaku Police Station following a complaint from his mother, Mrs. Nelly Chidinma Amadi. She accused him of assault, molestation, and threatening her life over a family property dispute.
Pastor Amadi had previously jumped administrative bail granted by the Scorpion Squad Office a few weeks ago, prompting a police search for his rearrest. Upon his capture, the State Police Command filed charges against him in court for allegedly molesting and threatening his mother.
In the case, MID/31C/2024, between the Commissioner of Police and 47-year-old Ebere Emmanuel Amadi, the charges against him are as follows:
- Count I: That on or before September 6, 2024, at Irete, Imo State, Amadi allegedly stole property documents belonging to Mrs. Nelly Amadi, an offense punishable under Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code, Cap C38 of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as applicable in Imo State.
- Count II: That on or about the same date, Amadi maliciously damaged a pair of medicated eyeglasses valued at N60,000, the property of Nelly Amadi, in violation of Section 451 of the Criminal Code, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as applicable in Imo State.
- Count III: That on the same date, time, and location, Amadi forcibly entered the compound of his mother, writing “This House is Not For Sale” and “Beware of 419,” an act likely to cause a breach of the peace, punishable under Section 249(d) of the Criminal Code, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as applicable in Imo State.
Defense counsel, Barrister Osuocha, requested bail, arguing that the matter was a family dispute that could potentially be resolved outside the court. In response, the prosecuting officer, Maria Gorretti Nosiri, stated that there was no objection to granting bail. The court granted Amadi bail in the sum of N500,000, with a surety who must be a Level 10 Officer in the Imo State Civil Service, along with identification documents.
Due to the unavailability of a suitable surety, Amadi was taken to the Nigeria Correctional Centre in Owerri. The court has adjourned the case until January 24, 2025, for further proceedings, with the defendant pleading not guilty to the charges.