Archbishop docked for alleged illegal N7m land deal

A self-acclaimed archbishop, John Okeke, 59, was, Tuesday, brought before a Lagos High Court in Igbosere for allegedly selling a land worth N7 million belonging to someone else. Okeke, founder of God’s Pentecostal Ministry World Wide, Iba, Lagos was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a nine-count bordering on stealing, forgery and impersonation. At the resumed hearing, EFCC counsel, A.M. Ocholi, told the court that the trial could not go on due to absence of a witness (one Nurudeen Bello) who took his two-month-old baby to the hospital following complications. Responding, the defendant’s counsel, U.C. Ikebulu, argued that the prosecution had nine witnesses, and could have called another witness since they could not go on with Nurudeen (witness). The presiding judge, Justice Aishat Opesanwo, after listening to both counsel, adjourned the case to February 8, 2014 to enable the prosecution produce its witnesses. It will be recalled that a businessman, Ignatius Ozorumba, had on January 31, 2013 told a Lagos High Court in Ikeja how the archbishop (defendant) allegedly stole his land worth N7 million. Testifying in the case, Ozorumba, who was led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Mrs Atinuke Daramola, said he was a former member of the defendant’s church. He said sometime in 2005, Okeke informed him that the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) had instructed all persons allocated plots of land in FestacTown to pay their land rents. Ozorumba, who is the director of Immortal Impex Limited, said he asked the archbishop to help him process the payment so that the land would not be revoked. The witness said:“I gave him N200,000 to help me pay eight years rent at a cost of N25,000 per year, for my land known as “Plot H1”, located on 2nd Avenue, FestacTown, Lagos. “I also gave him photocopies of the Title Deed and other relevant documents to facilitate the process.” Ozorumba explained that the defendant later told him to bring the original documents for “sighting” purposes by the authorities of the FHA and he complied. According to him, after the defendant took the documents, he failed to return them, claiming that they were in the custody of the FHA. He later discovered that the defendant had sold the property to the trustees of Mainland Motorcycle and Spare Parts Dealers Association for the sum of N7million. Ozorumba alleged that the archbishop had forged documents, including a change of ownership form purportedly issued by the FHA, to facilitate the transaction. The witness further alleged that the defendant misled the buyers that he was the original owner of the property and had sold it since September 2005. He said this led to a dispute between himself and the archbishop which prompted him to petition the EFCC. from Vanguard Newspaper