By Uzair Adam Imam
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has apprehended a clergyman in Ilorin, Prophet Adeniyi James, on allegations of defrauding a member of his congregation to the tune of N3.9 million.
James, who serves as the General Overseer of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Freedom City Prophetic and Deliverance Ministry in Ilorin, was taken into custody by the Ilorin zonal command of the EFCC on April 2.
Dele Oyewale, the head of media and publicity for the EFCC, revealed in a statement issued in Ilorin on Saturday, that the arrest came following a petition lodged by the victim, Oluwole Babarinsa.
Babarinsa recounted in his petition that during a church programme in 2021, James purportedly had a divine revelation about his (Babarinsa’s) imminent travel abroad.
According to Babarinsa, James engaged him in a conversation about his preferred destination, to which he responded, ‘Canada’.
Subsequently, James allegedly informed him of a friend in Lagos who could facilitate his relocation to Canada, albeit at a cost of N1.7 million for processing and an additional N2.5 million for flight tickets and travel documents.
In his quest to fulfil the purported divine directive, Babarinsa resorted to selling some of his assets and taking out loans, ultimately amassing a total of N3,980,000, which he handed over to the prophet.
However, despite the substantial sum provided, Babarinsa alleged that James failed to fulfil his promises.
“The petitioner stated that all efforts and entreaties to the suspect to refund his money yielded no positive result,” Oyewale said, relaying Babarinsa’s frustration with the situation.
The EFCC spokesperson affirmed that following the arrest, investigations into the matter are ongoing, with plans to arraign the suspect in court upon completion of the inquiry.