The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained Prophet Adeniyi James, the General Overseer of the Christ Apostolic Church Freedom City Prophetic and Deliverance Ministry.
The preacher was taken into custody in Ilorin, Kwara State, on charges of cheating a church member out of N3.9 million.
The head of the commission\’s media and publicity, Dele Oyewale, said in a statement on Saturday in Ilorin that James was detained by the EFCC on April 2 for allegedly cheating a church member out of N3,980,000.
Oyewale mentioned that in a petition to the commission, the victim, Oluwole Babarinsa, claimed that James had told him during a church program that he would be traveling overseas after receiving a revelation at some point in 2021.
\”The petitioner said that the cleric asked him about his favorite country during the revelation, to which he replied, \’Canada,\’ and they decided to speak later to finalize the travel arrangements.\”The petitioner claimed that James later informed him that, for a fee of N1.7 million and N2.5 million, respectively, for the processing of the aircraft ticket and travel paperwork, he had a friend in Lagos who could assist him in relocating to Canada.
“Babarinsa went on to say that in order to raise the N3,980,000 he needed to help the prophet move quickly to Canada, he had to sell some of his properties and take out some loans.
\”Following an extended period of inaction, the petitioner lost patience and started to doubt the prophet\’s vision, which led him to request a reimbursement of his funds.
An EFCC official stated, \”He said that all efforts and entreaties to the suspect to refund his money yielded no positive result.\”
He stated that following the completion of the investigations, the suspect would be charged in court.
