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The head of Zion
Church World Wide and the ruler of Ugbo-nla, in the oil rich Ilaje
Local Government Area of Ondo State, Mobolorunduro Henry Ogunfeyimi was
remanded in prison custody yesterday for allegedly parading himself as
king of Ugbo kingdom and for destroying the properties of the paramount
ruler of the Ugbo kingdom, Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan.

Mr Ogunfeyimi and nine other defendants were ordered to be remanded in prison custody by a Chief Magistrate, O.C Agunbiade.

The accused will be in prison custody till May 3 when the court will determine whether or not to grant them bail.

Others remanded in
prison custody are: Oluranti Ogunfeyimi, Ajimuda Daniel, Olatunji
Mafimisebi, Gladius Omogbemi, Niyi Ogunfeyimi, Imole Ogunfeyimi, Isogun
Ajodun, Gbadebo Olakanmi, Adewole Ajuwayo and Johnson Agbodu.

The charges

The charge sheet
reads, in part: “on the 25th day of February, at about 1:30pm in
Ugbo-nla, in the Okitipupa Magistrate District, the accused persons did
conspire with one another to commit misdemeanor, to wit malicious
damage and thereby commit an offence punishable under section 517 of
the Criminal Code cap 30 vol 2 laws of Ondo State .” It also alleged
that “they willfully and unlawfully damaged an alumaco glass door
,valued N120, 000, property of Oba Akinruntan, the Olugbo and thereby
committed an offence punishable under section 451(1) of the criminal
code cap 30 vol 2 of the laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 1978.”

Mr Ogunfeyimi alone
was accused of conducting himself in a manner likely to cause the
breach of peace by addressing himself as “His Royal Highness, Oba Dr
Ogunfeyimi Henry of Ugbo-nla” and therefore committed an offence
punishable under section 249 sub section of the criminal code cap 30
vol 2 laws of Ondo State .

Minor offenses

At the resumed
hearing of the case, the accused persons, through their counsel,
Olusanmi Tobase asked the court to grant them bail on liberal terms
since the offences against them were minor in nature.

He said the accused
were on police bail before they were arraigned at the last adjourned
date, adding that they would provide credible sureties that would stand
for them in the court.

The judge, however, refused to grant their application for bail pending the trial of the case.