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The Assistant General Superintendent,
Rev. Ramsey Ogagaoghene in a petition addressed to the EFCC noted that the
factional General Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Chidi Okoroafor and six others
allegedly embezzled over N100 billion belonging to the church, adding that Rev.
Okoroafor was the Assistant General Superintendent until March, 2014 when he
could not account for funds of the church and formed a parallel group that
threw the church into crisis.
On account of the petition dated
September, 2015 submitted to the Commission by Mr. Eli Ugwu, counsel to the
petitioner and four others, the group urged the Commission to investigate the
alleged fraudulent conversion of money and embezzlement of funds belonging to
the church by Rev. Okoroafor and his cohorts as they approved money for projects
without due process of the church, and allegedly executed such projects by
themselves. Petition
The petition read in part: “On
behalf of the Assistant General Superintendent, Rev. Ramsey Ogagaoghene, Bright
Arukwe, Clement Esochaghi, Oliver Udensi and Sunday Palma for and on behalf of
pastors and other concerned members of the church, we claim that Rev. Vincent
Alaje, Rev. Femi Adegoke, Mr. Dickson Ukpai, Mr. Michael Ugbor, Elder Mike
Okoro and Tony Ewelike engaged in illegal and unauthorized business without the
approval of the General Suprintendent.
“Alaje unilaterally spent about N115 million
belonging to the church, personally negotiated and concluded payments for three
plots of lands and has started developing the plots without the consent and
authority of the General Superintendent and other officers of the church.
“Alaje was fond of commandeering the
money of the church, approving same by himself, and authorized payments without
the consent of the General Superintendent. This was evidenced by his requisition
of 5/4/2013 for the sum of N1.5 million which he tagged, ‘Trip to Ibadan with
family.’ The unilateral stashing of fund was after the church magnanimously
approved N2 million for him”
The petition further indicted Alaje of
illegally collecting N28.5 million as staff investment premium without any
authorization, which according to the report, was against the general council
accounts procedures. The petition further noted that the same amount was
deposited into an account with Diamond Bank. Rev Ogagaoghene in the petition
also prayed EFCC to question Mr. Tony Ewelike on the N1.4 billion Assemblies of
God Ministers Benefit Scheme, AGMBS, which he was unable to account for. The
petition further pointed out that Rev. Femi Adegoke,, the former media director
of the church should also be investigated for allegedly defrauding the church
of over N50 milliion.
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