An Abuja High Court on Thursday remanded a cleric, Amos Isah, in Kuje Correctional Centre over the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl.
Justice Modupe Osho-Adebiyi ordered the detention after Isah pleaded not guilty to an eight-count charge.
Isah is the founder and General Overseer of Prophetic Voice of Fire Ministry International in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
The prosecution accused the cleric of luring the teenager into his office on the church premises and defiling her.
Prosecutors said the alleged offences violated Sections 3, 4 and 14 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.
During proceedings, defence counsel O.U. Sule (SAN) told the court that another High Court had already granted Isah bail.
However, Justice Osho-Adebiyi said the court had not received any records relating to the bail approval or the sureties.
“His record of surety is not before the court; if I tell him to go, who am I releasing him to?” the judge asked.
Sule urged the court to release the defendant on self-recognition. The judge rejected the request.
“Until I get the record, there is really not much I can do. You have not applied for bail before me,” she said.
The defense counsel later sought an oral bail application.
But prosecution counsel Aderonke Imana opposed the request. She told the court she was handling another matter at a different court and could not respond immediately.
The judge also noted that the sureties were absent and their documents were unavailable.
She then ordered the defendant’s remand pending the determination of his bail status.
Police arrested Isah in June 2025 over the allegations.
Authorities first arraigned him before Justice J.E. Obanor at a High Court in Maitama on July 22, 2025.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges during the earlier arraignment.
The prosecution later applied for the reassignment of the case. The court transferred the matter to Justice Osho-Adebiyi on March 11.
The judge directed the defence team to submit all bail documents from the previous court.
She adjourned the case until June 30 for the commencement of trial.
