EFCC RECOVERS N11.9M FOR REDEEMED CHURCH
EFCC RECOVERS N11.9M FOR REDEEMED CHURCH
Many months after losing about N12
million to a bank staff and an account officer of the church, the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, Wednesday, made the church to smile again, when
the full amount was recovered from the suspects and returned to the pastor of
the church at an event in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.Mr. Ishaq Salihu, South-
South Zonal Head of the EFCC, in Port Harcourt, handed over the money to one of
the Regional Ministers of the Church, Pastor Mark Barango.
According to EFCC, the said amount was stolen
by a banker and the Account Officer of the church, Ameh Cyril Idakwoji, in a
web of fraudulent diversion and suppression of the finances of the church.
Troubles came for Idakwoji when
Access Bank Plc petitioned the EFCC about some missing funds in the accounts of
one of its corporate customers in Port Harcourt.
The customer, Jepthah International
School, East- West Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, could not access
N37million in its account with the bank.
The bank traced the scam to one of
its staff, Idakwoji and named him the mastermind of the fraudulent dealings.
Idakwoji doubled as the Account
Officer of Jepthah International School and Redeemed Christian Church of God,
Region 5, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He defrauded the RCCG by suppressing
and diverting cheques and cash meant for the Church to cover his shady deals in
Jepthah International School. He was covering up by giving fake statements of
accounts to both the school and the church.
To execute his criminal schemes in
RCCG, he forged the letter heads of the church’s Region 5 and the signatures of
the pastor in charge of the Region. He also forged the signature of the
church’s accountant and attached same to the August 2017 Salary Schedule of
Jepthah International school to the tune of N7, 129, 128. 78.
The Church denied giving instruction
for the payment of the salary of the school. Investigations by the commission
uncovered all the criminal movements of the fund of the church by Idakwoji and
a sum of N11, 987, 844.11 found to have been stolen have now been recovered and
returned to the church.
Receiving the recovered sum, Pastor
Barango, commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for
being ” an agent of transformation. “My impression with the work of the EFCC is
that it is perfect, perfect, perfect.
The EFCC is an agent of transformation. Their
work is perfect and the church is grateful that the money is returned to us,”
Barango said. It will be recalled that a sum of N36 million recovered from
Idakwoji, was returned to the management of Jepthah International School by the
EFCC in September.
While presenting the money to the church,
Salihu emphasized the commitment of the EFCC to bursting any financial and
economic scam, no matter how complex.
He reiterated the zero- tolerance of
the Commission for corrupt practices and warned criminal elements in the
country to desist from fraudulent practices. “Crime and criminality are not
limited to any group of people.
They have no creed, no gender and no
religion. The RCCG is a large church and we are pleased to have been able to
recover the stolen money for the church,” he said.
An appreciative Pastor Barango promised that
the church will continue to pray for the continued success of the Commission.
