N49.6m fraud: Court fixes Nov 19 to rule on Lagos prophet’s bail application

AN Ikeja Special Offences Court has fixed Nov 19 to rule on the
bail application of Prophet Cletus Ilongwo, accused of swindling a
congregant of his church of N49.6million.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ilongwo, based in
Lagos, was arrested on Nov 3 by a team of policemen and officers of
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the
alleged fraud.

He was remanded in prison custody by Justice Sherifat Solebo
when he appeared in court on Nov 5 following his ‘not guilty’ plea
to an 11-count charge of unlawful conversion.

During the bail hearing on Wednesday, Ilongwo’s new counsel, Mrs
Titilola Akinlawon (SAN), urged the court to admit him to bail on
the most liberal terms.

She said that Ilongwo was not in good health and had never been
convicted of any criminal charge.

Mr Ahmed Yerima, the prosecutor for the EFCC, however, opposed
Akinlawon’s application, urging the court to refuse the defendant
bail.

He said that the prophet had previously jumped the
administrative bail granted him at the anti-graft commission.

Reacting to the allegation of the EFCC, Akinlawon told the court
that the Ilongwo never jumped bail but had filed a civil case
before the Lagos State High Court against the EFCC in respect of
the allegations of fraud levelled against him.

She said: “The respondent in the affidavit said the defendant
jumped bail granted him at the Commission but failed to tell the
court that in the interim, the defendant filed a civil case against
them in respect of the matter.

“It is wrong for them to say that if the defendant is granted
bail, he will not return for trial.

“I submit that the defendant, a man of God with over 3000
members in his congregation, would as a matter of necessity show
good leadership by returning to this court for his trial.

“I will urge My Lord to use her discretion in favour of the
defendant to grant him bail on liberal terms.”

Justice Solebo, after Akinlawon’s submission, adjourned the case
until Nov 19 for the ruling on the bail application and
commencement of trial.

Ilongwo is the founder of Power of the Holy Ghost Evangelical
Ministry a.k.a Tuesday Tuesday Church.

According to the EFCC, Ilongwo committed the offences between
January and April 2016.

“Ilongwo collected the funds from one Obinna Ezenwaka on the
pretext that he would help him purchase a property located at 165c,
Diamond Estate Amuwo Odofin.

“He, however, failed to purchase the same property.

“The funds were collected from Ezenwaka through Ilongwo’s Zenith
Bank account 1003455899,” Yerima said.

NAN reports that Ilongwo was previously arrested earlier in the
year by the Police and EFCC after a former church member reported
to the authorities that he was defrauded of N85 million by the
prophet.

The alleged N85million scam had led to the loss of the member of
the congregation’s job in one of the first generation banks in the
country.

After Ilongwo was invited for interrogation, he jumped the
anti-graft agency’s administrative bail and efforts made to
re-arrest him failed until his surety was arrested.

He reportedly abandoned his surety to languish in EFCC
detention, prompting a joint operation by EFCC and the Police to
arrest him.

During the operation, which lasted for hours, members of his
church allegedly confronted security agents with dangerous weapons,
leading to the use of force to arrest him inside one of the rooms
in the church.