“We will march to CID office”-Obinim supporters

Members of the International God’s Way Church have threatened to besiege the premises of the police CID Headquarters over the continuous detention of their leader, Bishop Daniel Obinim.

“Today we’re monitoring proceedings. I’ll organise my people to come and besiege the police headquarters. If that’s what they want, we shall do that. You can’t be handling such an eminent man of God like that,” a leading member of the church, Rev. Kojo Adu Boahen, said.

The controversial pastor was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and charged for the publication of false news and forgery of a document, contrary to sections 208 and 159 of the Criminal and other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) respectively.

He was granted bail in the sum of GHC 100, 000 with three sureties, one to be justified, a police statement said Tuesday.

Bishop Obinim granted GHC 100k bail

However, two days after he was granted bail, the self-styled ‘Angel’ has failed to meet the requirements of his bail condition.

Update: Bishop Obinim fails to meet GH¢100k bail condition

His family and supporters have accused the police of deliberate attempts to intimidate and frustrate the bail process to keep him in custody although he has met the bail condition.

“I’m saying so without any reservation whatsoever. It’s a deliberate attempt to intimidate, frustrate us just to maybe disgrace Bishop Obinim… How can three people; the commander of SIU, Director of Operations, and Director CID hold the whole nation to ransom? How can three people take the laws of Ghana into their own hands,” the leader quizzed.

He added, “A competent court of jurisdiction has granted Bishop Obinim bail which he has met. So what again? So it’s a deliberate attempt, calculated attempt just to intimidate us, frustrate us to bring Bishop Obinim’s name into disrepute for no apparent reason”.

When theghanareport.com reached out to the Head of Public Affairs at the CID, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Juliana Obeng, over the allegations levelled against the police administration, she denied the claims.

“The process of meeting [the] bail condition is ongoing. Once it is ongoing, it means he is not being released so obviously, he is still in custody. Why would we frustrate the process? The bail was not given by the police. The bail was given by the court and the court’s condition has not been met,” she posited.

Bishop Obinim is also under investigation for several other offences.

Social media was flooded about a week ago with commentators indicating Bishop Obinim had collapsed and was hospitalised after a similar attempt to have him arrested.

The police, however, stated that an earlier video circulating on social media on Bishop Obinim’s arrest should be disregarded because it “has no relation with the suspect’s arrest on Tuesday, May 19, 2020.”

Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, who has accused Bishop Obinim of various criminal offences, said he officially reported the pastor to the police to clamp down on his nefarious activities.

This will not be the first time the pastor would be getting on the wrong side of the law.

Bishop Obinim, and two of his associate pastors, Kingsley Baah and Solomon Abraham, were fined totalling GHC 12,000 for physically assaulting two teenagers in 2018.

He has been accused of various human rights abuses in the past, including stamping his feet on the tummy of a pregnant woman ostensibly to deliver her from spiritual attack.

He was also accused of attacking and vandalising equipment at Accra-based Hot FM but was acquitted and discharged by an Accra High Court in 2015.