No show in court as lawyer for Rev. Owusu Bempah 'fails' to appear

Correction: This story earlier stated that Rev Owusu Bempah was absent in court. He was present in person, but rather it was his lawyer who was absent. The story has been edited to reflect the changes.

A case at the Accra Circuit Court 2 involving the General Overseer of the Glorious Word Power Ministry International, Rev. Isaac Owusu-Bempah, has been adjourned to February 2, 2022.

This was after the counsel for the controversial preacher failed to appear in Court on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, as scheduled.

However, Rosemary Baah Torsu, the presiding judge on the case, indicated that the Court received a letter on the inability of the counsel for Rev. Owusu Bempah to attend proceedings.

The controversial preacher is standing trial with three others- Michael Boateng, Frederick Ohene and Nathaniel Agyekum- on charges of offensive conduct, assault on police officers and causing unlawful damage.

It will be recalled that the accused were reported to have assaulted some police personnel who were deployed to invite Rev. Isaac Owusu Bempah to assist the police in investigating allegations of the threat of death levelled against the now repented fetish priestess, Evangelist Patricia Oduro Koranteng, formerly known as Nana Agradaa, sometime in 2021.

They have all so far pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Background

The war of words first started when the now repented fetish priestess labelled the head pastor of the Glorious Word Power Ministries International, Rev Isaac Owusu Bempah a ‘useless prophet’ via social media.

In a bid to address claims that Rev Owusu Bempah was her ‘spiritual father’, Nana Agradaa said her connection to the Prophet was only based on some alleged gay activities he [Owusu Bempah] was caught up in, where she had to intervene.

To make matters worse, Evangelist Patricia Oduro dragged Rev Owusu Bempah for being a man who wears make-up and further accused him of being a pedophile.

Though these claims cannot be verified as at the time of filing this report, Owusu Bempah and his church flock did not seem to take the allegations lightly.

Owusu Bempah and his church members respond

In July this year, Rev Owusu Bempah responded to the claims by invoking curses against the former fetish priestess.

He explained that Nana Agradaa only has an agenda against him [Owusu Bempah] to ridicule him, hence, her resolve to share old videos on social media, showing Owusu Bempah raining insults at Rev. Opambour, another known prophet.

“These people want to destroy the Man of God and in turn destroy the work of God. These people who have risen against me, I curse them with the thunder of God. They will be cursed in everything they do, wherever they find themselves will be cursed and they will be poor and beg before they feed themselves and family,” Owusu Bempah lashed out earlier during a sermon.

But on Wednesday September 8, 2021, some junior pastors belonging to Owusu Bempah’s church, during a Facebook live stream, threatened to ‘retaliate’ against Nana Agradaa.

The pair, while brandishing a weapon in the video, said there were ready to attack Nana Agradaa for the insults hurled against their prophet.

Two days later on Friday September 10, 2021, Rev. Owusu Bempah and his junior pastors, according to reports, stormed the house of the repented fetish priestess in a bid to ‘show her pepper’ for disrespecting him [Owusu Bempah].

Per videos available on social media, Nana Agradaa is heard inviting Owusu Bempah and his men into her house as she would use whatever destruction they caused at her home in the Court of Law.

Police arrest Owusu Bempah, four others

In the latest twist, the Ghana Police Service on Sunday, September 12, 2021, arrested Rev Owusu Bempah and four others, for their involvement in the creation and circulation of multiple videos which contained threats of causing harm and violence.

The police pointed that they were also arrested for brandishing of a weapon, as well as assault, on some police personnel who were injured and currently on medical treatment.

According to the police, the suspects were arrested “after critically analyzing the said videos and based on intelligence gathered”. Already, two other suspects in connection with the acts are said to be on run with the Police in pursuit of them.

Circuit Court denies Owusu Bempah bail

An Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Judge, Afia Owusuaa Appiah on Monday September 13, 2021, denied bail to Rev. Owusu Bempah and the four others arrested.

According to the court, they have been charged with offensive conduct conducive to breach of peace, the threat of death, and assault of public officers, and are expected to remain in police custody to reappear on Monday, September 20, 2021 for hearing.

The court explained the bail was denied in order to give the police more time to conduct further investigations into the incident.

According to media reports, some members of the Glorious Word Power Ministries International church thronged the court premises demanding that their prophet be released.

Owusu Bempah hospitalised after arrest

Barely a few hours after his arrest, bail was denied and remanded into police custody by An Accra Circuit Court, Rev. Issac Owusu Bempah is reported to have been hospitalised at the Police Hospital in Accra.

This is according to a source at the Police Hospital who confirmed this to Citi News.

It is however unclear what ailment the Glorious Word Power Ministries preacher is suffering from.