The Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission EFCC, have arrested and arraigned the residing pastor of the
Power of the Holy Ghost Evangelical Ministry in Lagos, Prophet Cletus Ilongwo,
for allegedly defrauding a member of his church to the tune of N59.7m, The
Punch reports.
EFCC had arrested Ilongwo
early this year after the church member had reported a case of fraud against
him to the tune of N 85 million. According to the church member, the
clergyman’s fraud told the antigraft agency that Ilongwo’s action caused him
his job in one of the first generation banks in the country.
Ilongwo allegedly jumped
bail and left his surety to languish in the EFCC detention, while efforts to
re-arrest him proved abortive.
The suspect was said to
have received the said amount from one Obinna Ezenwaka at different times in
2016 on the pretext of helping him to purchase a property located at 165c,
Diamond Estate, Amuwo-Odofin.
According to the EFCC,
Ilongwo collected the sum in tranches through his Zenith Bank account
1003455899.
At Monday’s proceedings,
llongwo, who was dressed in a long red robe, pleaded not guilty to the 11
counts charge bordering on fraud preferred against him.
The charges read in part:
“That you, Cletus Ilongwo,
on January 29, 2016, at Lagos, within the Ikeja Juridical Division, dishonestly
converted for your own use the sum of N10m, being money received through your
Zenith Bank account number 1003495899 from Obinna Ezenwaka meant for the
purchase of the property situated at No 165c, Block 12, Diamond Estate,
Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos.”
In view of his plea, the
prosecution counsel, Ahmed Yerima, applied for a date for the commencement of
trial, while the defence counsel, P.N. Orji, informed the court about a pending
bail application he filed on behalf of his client.
Yerima did not, however,
oppose the bail application, but asked for time to respond to it.
The presiding judge,
Justice Sherifat Solebo, adjourned the matter till November 14 and 19,
respectively for hearing of the bail application and commencement of trial.
She ordered that Ilongwo be
remanded in prison pending the approval of his bail application
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