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Court Sentences Prophet Ilongwo To 7yrs Imprisonment For Duping Church Member

An Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos has sentenced a Lagos-based prophet, Cletus Ilongwo, to seven years imprisonment for defrauding his church members of N59.7 million.

Ilongwo, the Presiding Pastor of the Power of the Holy Ghost Evangelical Ministry, was found guilty of seven counts charges bordering on fraud and stealing.

Delivering judgment, Justice Sherifat Solebo ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s property situated at No. 3 Popoola Ajayi St., Diamond Estate in Amuwo Odofin to the complainant.

“His Toyota Prado is also to be forfeited to the Federal Government as restitution to settle the complainant,” Solebo said.

Also Read: Zenith Bank in Alleged Messy N6.5billion Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) submitted that the convict on Jan. 29, 2016, defrauded a former member of his congregation, one Mr Obinna Ezenwaka.

EFCC counsel, EFCC Counsel, Nwandu Ukoha, told the court that Ilongwo collected the sum in tranches through his Zenith Bank account 1003455899.

Ukoha said that the convict received the amount from Ezenwaka on different occasions in 2016 on the pretext of helping him to purchase a property located at 165c Diamond Estate, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.

The defence counsel, Mr Albert Imolodia, in his allocutus, informed the court that the convict was a first time offender.

Read Also: N7bn Illegal Charges by Zenith Bank: Court Fixes Judgement Day

“He is a family man who has people that rely on him for their survival. We pray the court to temper justice with mercy,” Imolodia said.

The EFCC counsel, however, urged the court to give the convict maximum sentence as required by law and a restitution order in line with the Advance Fee Fraud Act.

The convict was said to have dishonestly converted for his own use the sum of money, being money received through his Zenith Bank account number 1003495899 from the complainant which was meant for the purchase of the property situated at No 165c, Block 12, Diamond Estate, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos

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Akinlade I. WAHAB is a dedicated journalist and the proprietor of I-WAHAB Media. He embarked on his career at Murhi International TV (MiTV) and subsequently joined Radio Nigeria as a Judicial Correspondent.With a profound interest in legal reporting, he currently holds the positions of Chairman at the National Association of Judicial Correspondents (NAJUC), Ikeja Branch, and Chairman at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Radio Nigeria Chapel.As the owner of I-WAHAB Media, he has successfully established Top Court News, a platform renowned for providing comprehensive coverage of court cases and legal developments, with the aim of promoting transparency within the judicial system.Akinlade's diligent work and unwavering commitment to ethical reporting have earned him immense respect within the Nigerian journalism community.

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