The Anambra State High Court sitting in Awka has refused bail to Harrison Anazodo, a spiritualist from Onitsha, who is currently facing allegations of human trafficking, abduction, and forcing women into marriage.
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Anazodo is also accused of abducting a mother and her daughter and forcing them to marry him. He appeared before Justice Jude Obiora on Tuesday on a wheelchair as the case continued.
He faces seven charges under the Anambra State Homeland Security Law, 2025. His lawyer, W. Abonye, asked the court for bail on health grounds.
The court rejected the bail request after reviewing the medical evidence. The judge said the defendant’s health was not life-threatening enough to justify bail.
The prosecution, led by Chief State Counsel Chineze Ekwerekwu, opposed the bail request and submitted a 20-paragraph counter-affidavit with two exhibits.
The prosecution also told the court that the State was ready to start the trial and had witnesses prepared to testify.
After hearing both sides, Justice Obiora postponed the case until October 16, 2026, to continue the trial.
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Reports that the pastor married about 50 women, along with other allegations, had already drawn public attention and led to his arrest by the State government.
He reportedly told investigators he did not know how many women he was married to. When he was arrested, 11 babies were found at his home.
The court has not yet proven the allegations, and the defendant is still on trial.
During the proceedings, a brief confrontation broke out between some of the defendant’s supporters and journalists at the court.
The supporters reportedly tried to stop journalists from recording Anazodo’s arrival at the court. This led to a disturbance, and at least two smartphones and cameras were allegedly damaged.
Some journalists were also mistreated. The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke, informed the court about the incident.
Nweke told the court what happened. Anazodo’s lawyer apologised to both the court and the affected journalists, promising that it would not happen again.
Justice Obiora accepted the apology and ordered that the damaged equipment be replaced.
The judge also repeated that journalists and the public could attend the proceedings as long as everyone behaved appropriately in the courtroom.
- Media Report