EFCC Apprehends Pastor for N1.3 Billion Fraud, Money Laundering Scandal

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced the arrest of Theophilus Ebonyi, the general overseer of Faith on the Rock Ministry International, in connection with an alleged fraud amounting to N1.3 billion.

According to Dele Oyewale, the head of media and publicity for EFCC, Ebonyi is accused of defrauding members of his church and other Nigerians through a fraudulent scheme involving fake grants from the Ford Foundation.

In a statement released on Monday, Oyewale disclosed that Ebonyi purportedly deceived his victims, including Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and individuals, by promoting an intervention project through his NGO, Theobarth Global Foundation. The scam involved falsely claiming that the Ford Foundation was offering a $20,000,000 grant to assist the less-privileged in society.

The statement outlined that Ebonyi convinced individuals and NGOs to sign up as beneficiaries by paying for registration forms and clusters, resulting in the fraudulent accumulation of N1,319,040,274.31. Each subscriber allegedly contributed N1.8 million to the scheme.

Investigations conducted by the EFCC revealed that there was no actual association between Ebonyi and the Ford Foundation. The foundation explicitly disclaimed any connection with Ebonyi and his NGO, asserting that they had no business or grant arrangements with them.

The EFCC further stated that Ebonyi, who reportedly continues to promote his fictitious grant on social media platforms, has acquired five properties through the proceeds of his criminal activities.

The antigraft agency confirmed that legal proceedings will be initiated against the pastor once investigations are concluded.