Daniel Obinim
Some relatives of embattled pastor Daniel Obinim, founder of the International God’s Way Church (IGWC), are complaining bitterly that the Police Administration is making it difficult for them to get bail for the pastor.
Obinim was granted bail by a Magistrate Court in Accra on Tuesday in the sum of GH¢100,000 with three sureties, one to be justified.
The maverick pastor, who claims to be an angel of God and has been frequenting heaven, is still being detained because he has not been able to extricate the bail bond, according to sources.
Two of Obinim’s supposed relatives, Elsie Asiedu and Jennifer Quartey, who are claiming to stand surety for Obinim, said yesterday that the police were impeding their effort to get the pastor freed from custody.
They alleged that the CID officers were scheming to keep the controversial pastor in their custody.
The duo said on radio that the police had shown little interest in facilitating the execution of the bail for Obinim despite providing them with all the necessary documentations required for the legal exercise.
They want the police to obey the orders of the court and grant bail to Obinim, dismissing as untrue claims that the pastor remained in custody because of his inability to meet bail conditions set by the court.
Bishop Obinim was arraigned at an Accra Magistrate Court on Tuesday and charged with publication of false news and forgery of document contrary to sections 208 and 159 of the Criminal and Other Offences Act 29 of 1969.
He was granted GH¢100,000 bail with three sureties, with one person to be justified, but remains in custody because of his inability to meet the bail condition, according to the Head of the CID Public Affairs, DSP Juliana Obeng.
She told DAILY GUIDE that the pastor was still going through the bail processes and had not left their custody yet.
Obinim is expected back in court on June 1, while the police conduct investigations into other offences levelled against him.
Main Complainant
Although the police have not released the identity of the complainant, DAILY GUIDE understands that it was through the effort of firebrand Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central Kennedy Ohene Agyapong that led to Obinim’s arrest.
The MP has vowed to expose pastors and other spiritualists that he deems to be fake and has accused Obinim of being one of them.
Kennedy Agyapong has confirmed that he personally reported the pastor to the Inspector General of Police for offences including fraud, money laundering and misuse of the police logo to harass some of the boys he has been having criminal deals with.
Previous Cases
Obinim is no stranger to criminal prosecution as he has had brushes with the law on at least two occasions.
In the first case, he vandalized a private radio station – Hot FM – but was acquitted and discharged in October 2015 after the complainants had allegedly lost interest in the case.
In September 2018, Obinim and two of his pastors were sentenced to a total fine of GH¢12,000 by an Accra Circuit Court after they had been accused of assaulting two teenagers on the church premises.
By Ernest Kofi Adu