3 People Charged For Defrauding Celestial Church Of N85.9m
Two men, John Rotimi Omotosho and Boye Olaniyan and a woman, Folashade Ogundipe, have been charged before a Federal High Court, Lagos, for allegedly defrauding the headquarters of Celestial Church of Christ, Imeko Cathedral, Ogun State, of the sum of N85, 914, 500 million.
Omotosho, Olaniyan and Ogundipe, were charged before the court alongside a company, Folafunmi Integrated Limited, on a four-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining under false pretence, by the men of Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (ForceCIID), Alagbon, Ikoyi Lagos.
The police in a charge marked FHC/L/226c/2019, alleged that the defendants had conspired among themselves to commit the act between 2006 and 2018.
To carry out the fraud, the police stated the defendants defrauded the church under the pretence of developing the Imeko Cathedral of the church, by issuing several Zenith Bank Plc cheques, which they used in withdrawing the money from the Church’s development project account with the bank.
The police also alleged that the duo of Ogundipe and Olaniyan, at different times fraudulently withdrew the sum of N4.5 million and N2, 260 million, from Zenith Bank Plc Account No: 1010529055 bearing the account name Imeko Cathedral Development Project Committee, through 28 different cheques drawn in their names, under the false pretence that you were using the money to facilitate the contract of the Church Cathedral Project.
The offences according to the police are contrary to Sections 8(a),1(1)(a) and 1(1)(a)&(b)of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other fraud related Offences Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010. And punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act.
When the matter was called Monday for the defendants to take their plea, they were not in court and also not represented by any lawyer.
The prosecution, ForceCIID, was represented by Mrs. Ezema Susan, told the court that she was in court for another matter.
Upon enquiries by the trial judge, Justice Ayokunle Faji, about the whereabouts of the defendants, She asked the court for a date in order to get in touch with the Investigating Police Office (IPO) in-charge of the charge.
Consequently, Justice Faji, while counseled the police lawyer to take steps in notifying all the defendants, adjourned the matter till February 17, for their arraignment of all defendants.
