Pastor remanded over noise nuisance from his church

A magistrate’s court at Adjabeng in Accra on Monday remanded Pastor Sam Isaac Opoku, Head Pastor of Jesus Demonstration Ministry International for a week, for allegedly leading his congregation to cause noise nuisance above the permissible noise level at Nii Boi Town in Accra. The court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kwacuvi-Tay remanded Pastor Opoku who pleaded not guilty to reappear on February 4, for hearing. Prosecuting, Mr Peaceton Martey Commodore of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), told the court that following persistent complaints by the residents near the church at Nii Boi Town, near Transformer Last Stop, about excessive noise in the area by the church members, the AMA ordered that their activities should be monitored. He said during the monitoring exercise for two weeks their activities were found to be a nuisance to residents. Mr Commodore said on the January 18, this year, the AMA Noise Abatement Task Force was dispatched to the area at 1130 p.m. to ascertain the facts and the church members were found to be playing loud music far above the permissible noise level recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He told the court that from a distance of about 20 metres the noise level of the church measured from different locations was 93.2 decibels, while the noise approved by the EPA was 50 decibels in the area, hence the summons served on the church to appear before the court.