Court Sets October Date for Witness Protection Hearing in Abuja Cleric Rape Trial

(Amos Isah, PHOTO CREDIT:Apostle Amos Isah on Facebook)

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Gwarinpa, Abuja, on Tuesday set 13 October for hearing of an application seeking special protection for an alleged 14-year-old r@pe victim being prepared to testify against an Abuja-based pastor accused of sexually ass@ulting her.

Judge Modupe Osho-Adebiyi, who is keen on promptly concluding the trial, said she would hear the application on 13 October and immediately rule on it, noting that the trial may commence that day, after her ruling.

Mr Isah, the founder and General Overseer of Prophetic Voice of Fire Ministry International, Gwagwalada, Abuja, is standing trial on eight counts of r@ping the 14-year-old church member, child abduction, sexual exploitation and other related offences.

It was reported that Judge Modupe Osho-Adebiyi granted Mr Isah fresh bail in May after declining his request to retain the earlier bail terms granted by another judge, instead imposing stiffer conditions, including a N50 million bail bond and two sureties who must be heads of pentecostal churches.

After granting the defendant bail, the judge adjourned the case for the prosecution to open its case by calling its first witness, the child complainant.

However, when the matter came up on Tuesday, the prosecution informed the court that it had filed an application seeking protective measures for the child before she gives evidence.

Both Mr Isah and the teenager, whose name is withheld over stigmatisation concerns, were present in court on Tuesday.

The prosecution lawyer, Aderonke Imana, of the Department of Public Prosecutions, Federal Ministry of Justice, told the court that although the matter was scheduled for hearing, the prosecution had filed an application for witness protection.

Responding, the defendant's lawyer, O.U. Sule, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), told the court he had not received the application.

After comparing the address on the court process with that on the defence lawyer's earlier court filings, Judge Modupe Osho-Adebiyi found that the motion was served on a different address.

The prosecution then handed a copy of the application to Mr Sule, who asked for time to respond to it.

Judge Osho-Adebiyi, who expressed her resolve to quickly conclude the trial, initially considered fixing a date before the court's annual vacation in July, but eventually fixed 13 October for hearing of the application, her ruling, and commencement of trial, also setting 14 and 15 October for continuation of trial.

In the application filed on 25 September 2025, the prosecution urged the court to order special measures to protect the child complainant during the trial.

It asked the court to order that the child's testimony be taken by video link, behind a screen, or another method the court deems fit, and that proceedings concerning her evidence be conducted in camera, excluding members of the public and the press.

It also sought an order permitting the child to testify behind a screen, via video link, or through any other method concealing her identity and preventing face-to-face contact with the defendant, alongside an order restraining the publication, broadcast or dissemination of the child's name, image or any identifying information in connection with the proceedings.

As grounds for the application, the prosecution argued that the complainant is a minor whose privacy, dignity and mental wellbeing require special protection under Nigerian law, noting that the charges involve alleged sexual and gender-based vi0lence, exposing the child to intimidation, embarrassment and public ridicule if required to testify openly.

It also argued that allowing the child to testify in open court could expose her to further psychological trauma and undermine her emotional recovery.

In a written address filed in support of the motion, the prosecution relied on Section 36(4)(a) and (b) of the Constitution, Sections 232 and 233 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, and Sections 38, 204 and 205 of the Child Rights Act, 2003.

According to the prosecution, Section 36(4) of the Constitution permits a court to exclude the public from proceedings where necessary to protect private lives or where the interests of justice so require, while Sections 232 and 233 of the ACJA empower courts to adopt protective measures for vulnerable witnesses, and Sections 38, 204 and 205 of the Child Rights Act prohibit exposing children to unnecessary publicity and require confidentiality in proceedings involving child victims.

The prosecution maintained that the protective measures sought would not prejudice the defendant's constitutional right to a fair hearing, since he would still be able to hear the child's testimony and challenge it through cross-examination.

It framed the sole issue for determination as whether the court should exercise its discretion to grant protective measures for the child complainant in the interest of justice and her welfare, urging the court to resolve the issue in its favour and grant all the reliefs sought.

Police arrested Mr Isah in June 2025 over the alleged r@pe of a 14-year-old girl, who was a member of the media unit of his church.

He was first arraigned in July 2025 on four counts of r@pe before proceedings became dormant. Following an application by the prosecution, the case was reassigned to Judge Osho-Adebiyi.

On 14 May, the prosecution re-arraigned Mr Isah on the amended eight charges of child r@pe, child abduction, sexual exploitation and related offences.

On 26 May, Judge Osho-Adebiyi granted him bail in the sum of N50 million with two sureties who must be heads of Pentecostal churches, among other conditions, terms significantly stiffer than the N5 million bail earlier granted by the former trial judge.