Pastor, Wife Held Over N20m Deliverance Fraud

Pastor Ifeanyi Okoli and his wife, Ngozi, of God’s Covenant Ministries (GCM), Ejigbo Lagos, southwest Nigeria, have been arrested by the police for defrauding a widow, Theresa Onuorah, to the tune of N20 million.

Pastor Okoli was alleged to have prophesied to Theresa that she would die if she did not forfeit all the property her late husband left behind to the church because his money was acquired through cult activities.

As a result of the prophesy, she chartered a lorry and took all their belongings to the church at 3, Brethren Avenue, Ejigbo, Lagos as the pastor demanded. The pastor and his family were said to have immediately started using them.

The property she took to the church include a Mercedes Benz car, three refrigerators, a set of chairs, rugs, four ceiling fans, all her clothes and those of her four children.

Others are dining table, family beds, brooms and all the kitchen utensils.

She and her children were said to have been sleeping on a bare floor for two years now.

Narrating what happened to P.M.NEWS, Theresa said they were living in a three-bedroom flat before her husband died 15 years ago.

She said her friend introduced her to the pastor whose is a prophetess. She said the pastor and his wife prophesied that, her late husband was a member of a secret society and now that her husband was dead, the group wanted to kill her and her children because they were using his property.

She said the pastor told her that the only thing that could prevent them from dying was to bring all their belongings to her ministry.

She said the pastor poured some oil on her body after the prophecy, and since then, whatever they asked her to do, she would not argue with them.

“After bringing all the property, he said more remained. He asked about my husband’s land which he said that I should sell and bring the money to the church,” she stated.

Theresa said that while all these were going on, the pastor warned her not to tell anybody.

She said she sold her husband land for N2million and the pastor continued to pile pressure on her to pay the money into his account or face serious consequences.

She said she then summoned courage and told one of her friends what she was passing through. She said it was her friend that assisted her to report the matter to the police who then arrested the pastor and his wife.

When P.M.NEWS visited Ejigbo Police Station, a police source said some of the items including the Mercedes Benz car, boxes, refrigerators, bed and the set of chairs have been recovered from the pastor.

At the station, the pastor’s wife, Ngozi, told the police that it was their inheritance since they are the ministers of God.

Her husband pleaded that he wanted the matter to be settled amicably.

Police source at the station told P.M.NEWS that it was a serious crime and the police would properly investigate the matter and bring the culprits to book.

— Cyriacus Izuekwe