Evangelist arraigned for allegedly defrauding members of N54.5m

The police in Lagos have arraigned the founder of the Power of the Holy Ghost Evangelical Ministry, a.k.a Tuesday Tuesday Church, Cletus Ilongwo, before the Ikeja Special Offences Court for allegedly defrauding church members of N54.5 million. The police and officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had last Saturday stormed the church, located […]

The police in Lagos have arraigned the founder of the Power of the Holy Ghost Evangelical Ministry, a.k.a Tuesday Tuesday Church, Cletus Ilongwo, before the Ikeja Special Offences Court for allegedly defrauding church members of N54.5 million.

The police and officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had last Saturday stormed the church, located at Shoba, Abule-Ado, Lagos, to arrest Ilongwo after some members of the church and the Shoba community laid a complaint of fraud against him.

Daily Trust learnt that some of the evangelist’s followers put up a strong resistance to prevent his arrest, but the security operatives eventually overpowered them and arrested their leader.

llongwo, who was dressed in a long, red robe in court yesterday, pleaded not guilty to the 11-count charge the EFCC preferred against him.

According to the EFCC, Ilongwo committed the offences between January and April 2016.

In one of the charges, Ilongwo was alleged to have collected N13.5m from one Obinna Ezenwaka on the pretext he would help him purchase a property located at Plot 165c, Diamond Estate, Amuwo Odofin.

He was further accused of collecting a sum of N10m from Ezenwaka, also under the pretext he would assist him to purchase the same property, but however failed to do so.

During the period, Ilongwo also allegedly collected the sums of N10m, N7m, N3m and N150,000 from Ezenwaka.

After the accused was arraigned, his lawyer, P.N. Orji, informed the court about a pending bail application he had filed on behalf of his client.

The EFCC prosecutor, Ahmed Yerima, did not oppose the application but asked for time to respond to it.

Ilongwo was said to have been arrested early this year by the police and EFCC after a former member of the church reported that he defrauded him of N85m.

After he was invited for interrogation, he allegedly jumped bail and efforts made to re-arrest him failed until his surety was arrested by security operatives.

The presiding judge, Justice Sherifat Solebo, adjourned the matter till November 14, 2018 for hearing of the bail application, and November 19, 2018 for commencement of trial.