Ondo missing child: Magistrate bars journalists from court

As the Magistrate’s Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo state capital, resumes trial Friday in the case of prophet Babatunde Alfa of Sotitobire Miracle Centre Akure, journalists at the Court 2 of the Oke-Eda were chased out by Magistrate Charity Adeyanju.

Prophet Babatunde, the founder of the Sotitobire Miracle Centre, is standing trial along with six others over the case of one-year-old boy, Gold Kolawole, who went missing in his church in November 2019.

 Drama ensued in the courtroom when the police prosecutor, Inspector Uloh Goodluck, ordered the already seated journalists to vacate their seats without any reason.

 However, when the newsmen argued that the prosecutor lacked such power, Goodluck approached Magistrate Adeyanju in her chamber to impress it on her to send them out of the courtroom.

Magistrate Adeyanju moments later walked into the courtroom and ordered the journalists to vacate their seats.

Shortly after journalists left the courtroom, Prophet Babatunde was brought into the court premises alongside six workers of his church amidst heavy security at exactly 9:27 am.

The magistrate, who gave no reasons for her action, ordered that Prophet Babatunde be remanded at the Olokuta Correctional Facility till February 5, 2020, pending the hearing of the legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).

Prophet Babatunde is standing trial for allegedly kidnapping a one-year-old boy, Gold Kolawole, in his church on November 10, 2019.

He was charged alongside the six others on six counts of felony, conspiracy, and kidnapping.

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