Prophet in Court for Allegedly Duping Man Seeking Spiritual Help of N59.7 Million

Matilda Omonaiye/

 

A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, today heard how a clergyman allegedly swindled an ex-banker who sought his help with a ‘spiritual problem’ of N59.7 million.

Prophet Cletus Ilongwo, the founder of Power of The Holy Spirit Evangelical Ministry, was charged before Justice S.O. Solebo by the Lagos Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headed by Mr Akan Ezima.

He was arraigned on an 11-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N59,760,000.

His arraignment followed a petition by one Obinna Ezenwaka, a former employee of Fidelity Bank Plc, in which he alleged that he was introduced to the defendant’s church in 2015 in his efforts to find a solution to a “spiritual problem”.

According to the petitioner, after finding his employment status, the Prophet introduced a business to him, which he claimed would benefit both of them as well as the church.

The Prophet subsequently lured Ezenwaka to buy a property located at Diamond Estate, Festac Town, Lagos for N59,760,000, with the assurance that they would resell it to a Chinese company for N150 million.

However, Illongwo allegedly reneged on his promise after receiving the money, which Ezenwaka claimed was raised from accounts of various customers of the bank.

Ezenwaka alleged that Illongwo diverted the money to his personal use.

The petitioner also claimed that he was dismissed from the bank over the issue.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.

The prosecution counsel, A. Yerima, consequently, asked for a trial date and prayed the court to remand the defendant in prison custody.

The defence counsel, however, asked that his client should be granted bail.

The Judge refused to hear the bail application, rather, he ordered that defendant be remanded in prison custody and

He adjourned to November 14 for hearing of the bail application and November 19 for the commencement of trial.

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