Cletus Ilongwo, a prophet located in Lagos, was sentenced to seven years in prison by an Ikeja Special Offenses Court for scamming a member of his church of N59.7 million.
Ilongwo, the head pastor of the Power of the Holy Ghost Evangelical Ministry, was convicted on seven counts of theft and fraud-related offenses.
The judge, Justice Sherifat Solebo, ruled that the complainant be given a property located at No. 3 Popoola Ajayi St., Diamond Estate in Amuwo Odofin, which belonged to the convict.
“His Toyota Prado is also to be forfeited to the Federal Government as restitution to settle the complainant,” the judge said.
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the convicted prophet conned Mr. Obinna Ezenwaka, a former member of his congregation, on January 29, 2016.
Nwandu Ukoha, an attorney for the EFCC, told the court that Ilongwo received the money through his Zenith Bank account number, 1003455899.
According to Ukoha, Ezenwaka gave the convict money on several occasions in 2016 under the guise of aiding the convict in buying a house at 165c Diamond Estate, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.
In his allocutus, Mr. Albert Imolodia, the defense attorney, told the court that the defendant was a first-time offender.
“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.
However, the EFCC attorney urged the court to impose the maximum sentence permitted by law and a restitution order in accordance with the Advance Fee Fraud Act on the convicted party.
It was alleged that the defendant deceitfully converted funds received through his Zenith Bank account number 1003495899 from the complainant, which was intended for the purchase of a property located at No. 165c, Block12, Diamond Estate, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos, for his own use.
