An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, investigator, Mr Samuel Adelana, told an Ikeja Special Offences Court how a pastor, Ayodeji Olorunfemi, allegedly defrauded an octogenarian of N36.5 million.
Olorunfemi is standing trial on a three-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretences and stealing.
Adelana, a police officer with EFCC, was led-in-evidence by the prosecutor, Mr Ahmed Yerima.
He said his team received a petition which was signed by one Mr Adedayo Olayide on behalf of the complainant, one Mrs Tawakalitu Ilumooka, against the defendant sometime in 2018.
The investigative officer said his team commenced investigation by writing letters to different banks which were mentioned by the complainant.
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“Upon our discovery that the complainant paid money into these banks at various times, we received a call from one of the banks that one Kayode Isola has been apprehended in the bank.
“The team member went for the arrest and Kayode was brought to our office.
“He was shown the petition where his name was mentioned and that N30,000 was paid into his account by the complainant.
“Kayode told us that he owns the account but his boss (defendant) asked for his account and immediately the money was paid into the account, he withdrew the money and gave it to his boss,” he said.
The witness further told the court that Kayode led the to the defendant’s house and he was taken to EFCC office where he made his statement in the presence of his lawyer.
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“The defendant explained that he knew the complainant through her daughter, Kuburat, who was his friend before she traveled out.
“He said he is a prophet and has been praying for the complainant’s daughter before she relocated and that she prayed for the complainant hen she found it difficult to sell her land.
“He said the complainant also paid N200,000 to his account as gratitude after he was able to sell the land.
“He said the complainant called him to pray for her first son who was terribly sick but he introduced her to people who can handle such sickness in Ondo Town.
“He said he gave the complainant the people’s name, Awoyemi Fakunle and Mose Alade,”
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He said that the complainant was received by Fakunle on her arrival to Ondo and was taken to a shrine where she was told that all her problems would be solved and they promised to make her rich.
The witness said he led his team which were five in number to Ondo after the defendant had written his statement to begin investigation.
He told the court that a letter was written to the Commissioner of Police, Ondo State.
“Upon our arrival at the Area Commander Office, we did the necessary documentation and we were given two policemen to assist us.
“The defendant took us to the shrine but we did not meet anyone in the old mud building. I took pictures of the shine.
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“The defendant also took us to some of the addresses we found on Fakunle’s bank details but we were told they are no longer living there,”
The witness told the court that from the investigation carried out, the complainant’s nude pictures were taken without her knowledge at the shrine while she was bathing with the soap they gave her.
He said that the complainant was surrounded with 20 men chanting incantation and she was given an iron box to keep at the corner of her room when she got to Lagos.
“She said during the period, two accounts were given to her in Fakunle and Alade’s names and she paid in trenches, a total of N36 million into the two accounts.
“In the course of our investigation, we discovered that Fakunle transferred N1 million to the defendant’s FCMB account on Aug. 3, 2016 and another N850,000 was paid into his account in Sept. 2, 2016.
“This money was transferred immediately after the complainant paid into Fakunle’s account.
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“We confronted the defendant on this revelation and he told us that he sold a car to Fakunle in the sum of N2.3 million that he was able to pay N1.8 out of it.
“We asked the defendant to show us the evidence of the purchase of the car to Fakunle which he could not,” he said.
The witness further said that his team were able to recover N1.5 million draft from the defendant which was registered as an exhibit and later released as a bond to the complainant before we was transferred to Abuja.
EFCC alleged the defendant with six others still at large fraudulently obtained the sum of N36 million from the octogenarian
The alleged offences contravene Sections 1(1)(a) and 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences, 2006, and Sections 287 (1) (2) and 285 (1) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.
Justice Mojisola Dada adjourned the case until Nov.25 for the continuation of the trial.
