Detectives at the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, have started investigating allegations of fraud and obtaining by false pretense made by a businessman against a popular pastor, Chris Okafor.
This followed a strongly worded petition sent to the Commissioner of Police by the businessman, Omolayo Ibukun Michael, alleging that the pastor who is the founder of Grace Nation Church with headquarters in Ojodu Berger Lagos, fraudulently obtained money by false pretense and two of his vehicles totaling N106,178,000,00. (One hundred and six million, one hundred and seventy-eight thousand Naira).
Giving vivid details of how the incident took place, the businessman said that as the Managing Director of Blessed Energy Resources Limited, he was introduced to the pastor by one of his friends called Ayobami, now Late, in 2021.
According to him, the pastor who claimed to be a man of God brainwashed him with fake miracles and asked him to supply 42,000 litres of diesel valued N50m.
"After that, he refused to pay me a dime up to this moment, and he also brainwashed me by collecting my two vehicles, one Mercedes Benz M-Class with registration No. KRD 575 HH, black in color and Mercedes Benz ML350 with registration No. KTU 546 HE, Black in color all valued at N30m.
"I also transferred the sum of N14.378m into his Zenith Account Number 1002770081 and Eco Bank account number 3302012345 and the sum of N11,800m in cash."
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The businessman who claimed that his attraction to the pastor was because he did a contract for Lagos State government, but they have continued to owe him huge amount of money prompting his resort to prayers, also alleged that the pastor warned him not to reveal the secret to any other person and that if he does it, it will be the end of his life.
"To my utmost surprise, a woman, Bose Olasukanmi, used by the pastor for fake miracles to deceive me, was arrested by the police. It was then I realised that I have been duped by the pastor, and all efforts made for him to return my vehicles and pay my money proved abortive."
The businessman, who said he was in the protocol department in the church, further alleged that the pastor also threatened his life by warning that he should stop demanding a refund of his vehicles and payment of his money.
As at the time of writing this report, police sources said one of the vehicles had been recovered from the person the pastor sold it to, while frantic efforts are in progress to recover the second vehicle. However, sources said all efforts to invite the pastor failed but he only sent a legal representative to deny all allegations against him.
Meanwhile, the church, in a statement over the issue, signed by its spokesman, Henry Okoduwa, vehemently denied all the allegations against their pastor stating that the cars in question were voluntarily offered by the complainant who joyfully presented them as offerings to God during a service broadcast live approximately three years ago, stating also that all financial transactions with him had been settled.
