Bishop drags wife to court for alleged burgling of church

By Sunmola Olowookere
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What could have led to the alleged involvement of the wife  of a Bishop of a Pentecostal church in Oka-Akoko, in the burglary of the church, remains a puzzle to the audience at an Akure High Court, where the woman has appeared with her accomplice.

The cleric, Bishop Mathew Ibidun of Christ Overcomers Ministry, had dragged his estranged wife alongside her accomplice, one Ojo Popoola, for allegedly stealing some musical instruments of the church.

The duo, charged with conspiracy and burglary, had pleaded not guilty to the allegation that they carted away all the musical instruments of the church in December 2018.

According to the prosecution led by one Tunde Yakubu, the first accused person, Ojo Popoola claimed that the  bishop’s wife had sent him to pack the instruments and keep them.

He protested that the instruments were not stolen, but that his client had just taken them for keeps, according to the directive of the woman.

It was learnt that the instruments were found in the apartment of the first accused person when the police went to arrest him, following a tip-off from the church members who saw him around the church premises prior to the burglary.

He claimed that it was the wife of the bishop that asked him to keep the instruments in his apartment in order to spite her husband.

Testifying before the court, the complainant, Bishop Mathew Ibidun, said the church members had alerted him of the burgling of the church by the first accused person, Ojo Popoola.

He said upon his arrest, he confessed that he was sent by the wife, afterwhich she too was subsequently arrested, saying, she was later released on bail.

According to the Bishop, he said his wife was fond of such crimes as the church mower which was missing was later found in her apartment.

During cross-examination by the counsel to the second accused person, the complainant admitted that he had moved out of the vicarage where the wife lived and had been living in Oke-Agbe for sometime.

He also revealed that they were estranged from each other and he had tried to divorce his wife twice for her insolence and lack of submission among other bad behaviours.

He claimed that the wife had also estranged him from his children and had sent them to beat him up on several occasions.

One of their sons, a university undergraduate, who was also present in the courtroom had interjected, “no sir! You are lying sir!”

He was immediately called to order by the trial judge, Justice Bode Adegbehingbe who expressed reservations in handling the case as a criminal matter and directed that the case be sent back to the registry for reassignment.

He also advised the bishop to seek means of reconciling with his family in order to preserve his image and ministry.