Joy Anyim
Two fake pastors, who had defrauded unsuspecting members of the public in search of miracles of millions of naira, have been arrested by detectives attached to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Yaba.
The fake pastors, Favour David and Elijah Chimobi, were arrested alongside two of their accomplice, who acts as miracle recipients, sharing their fake testimonies in the church, to cajole unsuspecting persons.
The pastors, whose church is known as Wonders Assembly Ministry, situated just Opposite Lagos Business School, Lekki/Ajah, Expressway in Lagos, met their waterloo, after they had swindled a woman (name withheld) who was seeking for a child of millions of naira.
The fraudulent pastors had attempted to keep extorting the woman, who later discovered their game, and reported to the police.
Following the complaints, a team of Police detectives from SCIID were detailed to the church. Days of painstaking investigations paid off, as the suspect were arrested last weekend, during a vigil at the church auditorium.
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The names of the accomplices who were also arrested in the church were given as Rukayat Folawewo and Bunmi Joshua.
The correspondent visited SCIID to also hear from the suspects, but was not granted audience by the Investigating Police Officer.
However, a police source at the police formation, whose name cannot be mentioned for obvious reasons, confirmed the arrest of the suspects.
According to him, “The incident happened on November 29, 2019 when police acted on an intelligence report. The detectives monitored the activities of the fraudulent criminal syndicate, who called themselves pastors.
“The pastors, Favour David and Elijah Chimobi specialized in defrauding unsuspecting members of the public through their church, Wonders Assembly Ministry Lagos, just opposite Lagos Business School, Lekki/Ajah Expressway in Lagos.
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“The suspects were arrested alongside two women, Rukayat Folawewo and Bunmi Joshua. The women pretended to be members of the church that had received a miracle. The former claimed she was healed by the Pastor David, after been involved in a car accident.
“While the latter said in her testimony, that her son who was deaf and dumb can now hear and talk, and was healed by Pastor Chimobi, who also has a church in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Capital, known as Elijah Ministry, at No. 9, Igirita Street.
“Investigation however revealed that none of the testimonies given were true, and suspects were immediately arrested at the scene where they had a vigil on November 29, 2019, till the early hours of November 30, 2019 about 5 a.m.
“Meanwhile, the suspects are in police custody helping the detective on useful information and they have confessed to the commission of the crime. The Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosun, who was briefed on the matter, has however assured members of the public that the suspects will be charged to court as soon as the investigation is concluded.”
