How Jailed Prophet Helped 82 Inmates Regain Freedom

The leader of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Genesis Global Parish, Prophet Israel Ogundipe, who was jailed for two years in prison, barely four months after his conviction has aided the release of 82 people who were unjustly imprisoned.

The spokesperson of the church, Gbolanhan Ashorobi, disclosed this at an event to announce a partnership with the Monday Ubani Foundation.

The church is working with the senior lawyer’s foundation to help secure the release of more people from the correctional facilities.

Recall that Ogundipe was jailed by an Ikeja High Court nine years after a case of fraud and obtaining money under false pretences levelled against him by a United Kingdom (UK) based Nigerian woman, Olaide Williams-Oni commenced.

He was charged with seven counts of obtaining by stealing, including the delivery of money by false pretence, unlawful conversion of property and forgery but five of the counts were quashed by the court for want of evidence, while he was found guilty of two counts by Justice Olabisi Akinlade.

The cleric who has seen his jail time at the Kirikiri Correctional centre as an act of God has helped in paying legal fees for awaiting trial inmates and getting lawyers to pursue the unlawful incarceration.

The former Second Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Monday Ubani said his firm and foundation would work with the cleric to help release prisoners who are wrongly jailed.

Ubani said he particularly picked interest in the prophet because of testimonies of how he donates materials to inmates.

“Of utmost excitement to me personally and our law firm is the issue of facilitating the release of some of the inmates that have been in detention awaiting trials for a good number of years. For instance, the case of one Azeez Ibrahim, who regained his freedom recently at the instance of the prophet.”

“The man narrated how he wrongly served 10 years and six months at Kirikiri Correctional Centre for wrong identification. He regained freedom as a result of the intervention of the prophet. The number we gathered who have regained freedom so far through the effort of the prophet and his church has risen to about 82 inmates,” Ubani said.