Ikechukwu Ezeiru, the pastor of Christ Citizen Glorious Assembly, Okota, Lagos, has been charged with fraud at an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrate’s Court.
The suspect was arraigned yesterday for allegedly swindling a church member, Ifeanyi Ohazurume of the sum of N7 million.
The pastor was said to have refused to return the money to the plaintiff after receiving the said sum to purchase auction goods from the Nigerian Customs Service.
He was arraigned on three counts of obtaining under false pretences and stealing.
The charge reads in part, “That you, Pastor Ikechukwu Ezeiru, and others at large, sometime in the month of February, 2012, at about 10.00hours at First Bank Plc, Okota branch, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire to commit felony to wit: obtaining property by false pretences and stealing.
“That you on the same date, time and place in the aforesaid magisterial district, did obtain the sum of N7m from one Ifeanyi Ohazurume, under the pretext that you are in position to help him buy auction goods from Nigerian Customs Service, a representation you knew to be false.”
The police prosecutor, George Nwosu, who represented the resident prosecutor, DSP Etim Ekankuk, said the offences were punishable under sections 409 and 312 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge claiming that he gave the money to his wife who equally claimed to have passed it to someone else..
The defence counsel, Razak Adeyemi, applied for his bail in liberal terms.
The Chief Magistrate, Demi Ajayi, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.
The matter was adjourned till April 16, 2014.
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