Pastor absconded after using group's thrift savings to pay LAPO debt – Newstrends
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Pastor absconded after using group’s thrift savings to pay LAPO debt

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Amazing Grace membership form

Martins Emmanuel, a member of the Amazing Grace Eagle Family, a Christian group in Kwara, has told FIJ how a pastor absconded with the monetary contributions of the group.

Emmanuel narrated how his pastor introduced him to the thrift, which was being run by his associate, another pastor named Afolabi Olakunle Alexander.

Emmanuel told FIJ he agreed to the said thrift in order to have savings for his child’s school fees.

“In December 2021, precisely December 27, I got a chat from my pastor, Reverend Simeon Oladejo. He told me thrift was being organised for Christian believers. We attend same church, and he’s one of our pastors in Ife. I asked him how much I could be contributing, and he told me the least was N5000,” said Emmanuel.

“I agreed, and I started making my contributions in February. I made my contributions until November 2022, when I was to get my money.

“According to the list of people that would be paid monthly, which was sent to the platform, I was to be paid on November 15, 2022.”

However, when Emmanuel reached out to his pastor, he was told Pastor Afolabi had absconded with the money and efforts to reach him had been futile.

“When I reached out to Reverend Oladejo, he said the man took away the money, and that he had tried to get across to him, but to no avail,” Emmanuel told FIJ.

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“Pastor Afolabi is a known associate of Reverend Oladejo. After making the payment into his account, the receipts were usually sent to him.

“I began to send messages to him to please give me my money, as I needed to pay my children’s school fees. But he replied none of my messages, including the ones sent on WhatsApp. He would read but not reply.”

OVER 100 CONTRIBUTORS INVOLVED

Documents and other items of evidence at FIJ’s disposal show that no less than hundred contributors were involved.

FIJ reached out to some other members of the group, and their accounts did not differ from Emmanuel’s.

One Omoniyi, a Port-Harcourt resident, told FIJ that he also could not get his money. He said his efforts had always been met with a series of excuses from Reverend Oladejo, who introduced him to the group.

“I am also involved in it. I have about N55,000 with him, but each time I reached out, I was always told that the persons in charge of the money ran away with it. There are many others that have not got their money,” Omoniyi told FIJ.

‘OVER N2M BELONGING TO MY GROUP NOT PAID’

An inner member of the group, who asked not to be named, told FIJ that no less than N2 million belonging to his own clique in the group had not been paid. This, according to him, was besides his own personal N200,000.

“I am a member of the group, and I hold an important position in the administration of the thrift. The matter is more serious than that. My money too is stuck in there, and it is about N200,000. The people that I brought into the programme have also not been paid their money, which is over N2 million naira.”

FIJ learned that Pastor Afolabi used the money contributed to offset his debt with the microfinance bank popularly known as LAPO.

“He is running round to source for money. The issue is that he was owing LAPO some money. LAPO then told him to pay up to lend him more money, which he believed he would use to pay the contributors in the thrift group,” said a source who asked not to be named.

“However, after he paid LAPO using the contributors’ money, LAPO came up with an excuse that they had closed for the year.”

Efforts by FIJ to hear from Pastor Afolabi proved abortive as his line was unreachable.

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Breaking: Military releases FirstNews editor, Segun Olatunji

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Breaking: Military releases FirstNews editor, Segun Olatunji

The military has finally released Segun Olatunji, editor of FirstNews, who has been in their custody since March 15.

Olatunji was released on Thursday to Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) General Secretary Iyobosa Uwugiaren and The Nation Deputy Editor Yomi Odunuga under a bridge in Asokoro, Abuja.

It was also learnt that the documents for his release were signed inside a security vehicle with heavily armed operatives.

The security agents were said to be masked and the number plates of their vehicles covered up.

The editor was abducted by armed men in his home in Iyana Odo, Abule Egba area of Lagos, on March 15.

His family members were kept in the dark on his whereabouts and why he was arrested.

Several groups, including the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Guild of Editors, almost daily mounted pressure on the government for Olatunji’s release.

On Wednesday, the Nigerian chapter of the International Press Institute said the journalist was in the custody of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

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BREAKING: Court orders military to release 313 suspected terrorists

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BREAKING: Court orders military to release 313 suspected terrorists

A Federal High Court in Borno State has ordered the release of at least 313 suspected terrorists detained by the military.

The court ordered their release due to a lack of evidence to charge the suspects after the investigation.

Maj. Gen. Buba Edward, the Director of Defence Media Operations, announced this during the operational briefing on Thursday in Abuja.

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He said, “The court ordered the release for want of evidence after the conclusion of investigation and other ancillary matters.

“Accordingly, they would be handed over to the Borno State Government for further action.”

BREAKING: Court orders military to release 313 suspected terrorists

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Lagos court sends 25-year-old man to prison for stealing employer’s N54.1m

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Lagos court sends 25-year-old man to prison for stealing employer’s N54.1m

One David Ojonugwa has been remanded for allegedly stealing his boss’ N54,142,000 in Lagos State.

An Ebute-Metta Magistrates’ Court ordered the remand of the 25-year-old defendant on Wednesday.

Ojonugwa was arraigned by the police on three counts bordering on conspiracy, unlawful interference with property, and stealing.

He pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against him by the police.

Consequently, magistrate Adedayo Tella remanded Ojonugwa at the Correctional Centre and adjourned the case till April 24, 2024 for the review of facts and sentencing.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Inspector Francisca Job, informed the court that the defendant committed the alleged offences sometime in January 2024 at Lorange Water Factory, located at No 3, Olajubu Street, Ilupeju area of Lagos State.

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According to Job, Ojonugwa unlawfully disconnected, removed, tampered, and meddled with one 10KVA generator valued at N250,000, a 12 HP submersible pump machine valued at N200,000, an electric motor for a water line, N1.8m, and bottled water machine, N1m.

Others are one injection machine module at N12m, injection machine module, N14m, one set of four cavity module bottles (150CL) at N9m, one set of four cavity module bottles (75CL), valued at N8m, one set of four cavity module bottles (25CL), valued at N5m, one electric for motor shrink wrapper (75KW) valued at N110,000, two floating switches for the bottled water line valued at N20,000, 200 stainless bolts and nuts for installation valued at N92,000, six stainless rods for the installation of the water line valued at N200,000 and 1,000 pieces of medium-sized catfishes valued at N40,000, items that were stolen by the defendant.

She said that the total value of the items stolen was N54,142,000, properties of one Mrs Teju Adeleke.

According to the prosecutor, the offences committed contravened Sections 411, 340, and 287 (7) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

Lagos court sends 25-year-old man to prison for stealing employer’s N54.1m

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