The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a pastor of the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), Pastor Afolabi Samuel, at the Ikeja Special Offences Court, Lagos for allegedly stealing $90,000 and N4.5m property of the Registered Trustees of the Living Faith Church, Canaan land, Ota, Ogun State.
The defendant was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a four-count charge bordering on the alleged dishonest conversion of $90,000.00 to his own use.
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The EFCC alleged that the Samuel with one Mrs. Blessing Kolawole who is still at large did conspire sometime in 2018 in Lagos, converted N2,128, 000.00 and N2,358,000.00 property of Registered Trustees of the Living Faith Church a.k.a Winners Chapel.
The anti-graft agency said the offence was contrary to Section 278 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, No. 11, 2011.
It also said conspiracy to commit felony to wit stealing was contrary to Section 409 and 285 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
A petition submitted to the EFCC by Chioma Okwuanyi & Co legal practitioners said:
“The duo started carrying out various acts of breach of trust and fraudulent commission of unconscionable economic crime and sabotage, by unlawfully diverting to their private use, the Church’s money in Pastor Samuel’s custody without the permission of the Church.
“The duo continued doing so until sometime in the month of December 2018 when they ran out of luck and all their secret acts of economic sabotage and financial crime of fraudulently tampering with the church’s money were revealed.
“When confronted by the church, Pastor Samuel, who lives around the church at Raji Oba, Lagos admitted committing the act and even voluntarily made a written confession where he detailed how they have been stealing from the church”.
Following his plea of not guilty to all the count charges, Justice Mojisola Dada ordered him to be remanded in the Nigerian Correctional Service formerly known as prison custody.
The judge, therefore, adjourned further hearing to December 10, 2019.
Earlier, the defendant counsel, Mr. R. E. Ogunwuyi, told the court that the defendant had been on medication for undisclosed disease.
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