A Lagos-based minister, Prophet Cletus Ilongwo,has been charged for N59.7m fraud

A Lagos-based minister, Prophet Cletus Ilongwo, has been charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for supposed inclusion in a N59.7m extortion.

Ilongwo, the Presiding Pastor of the Power of the Holy Ghost Evangelical Ministry, was brought before a Lagos State Special Offenses Court for supposedly swindling a previous individual from his assemblage.

It was accumulated that the prophet was captured over claims of extortion leveled against him by the individual from his congregation.

Our journalist discovered that the suspect was at first captured early this year by the police and the EFCC after a previous individual from the congregation revealed that he swindled him of N85m, which prompted the loss of his activity in one of the original banks in the nation.

Ilongwo purportedly hopped safeguard and left his surety to mull in the EFCC confinement, while endeavors to re-capture him demonstrated failed.

At Monday's procedures, llongwo, who was wearing a since quite a while ago red robe, argued not liable to the 11 checks charge verging on misrepresentation favored against him.

The suspect was said to have gotten the said sum from one Obinna Ezenwaka at various occasions in 2016 on the appearance of helping him to buy a property situated at 165c, Diamond Estate, Amuwo-Odofin.

As indicated by the EFCC, Ilongwo gathered the entirety in tranches through his Zenith Bank account 1003455899.

The charges read to some extent, "That you, Cletus Ilongwo, on January 29, 2016, at Lagos, inside the Ikeja Juridical Division, insincerely changed over for your very own utilization the aggregate of N10m, being cash gotten through your Zenith Bank account number 1003495899 from Obinna Ezenwaka implied for the buy of the property arranged at No 165c, Block 12, Diamond Estate, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos."

In perspective of his request, the indictment advise, Ahmed Yerima, connected for a date for the beginning of preliminary, while the resistance guide, P.N. Orji, educated the court about a pending safeguard application he recorded for his customer.

Yerima did not, notwithstanding, restrict the safeguard application, but rather requested time to react to it.

The managing judge, Justice Sherifat Solebo, deferred the issue till November 14 and 19, separately to know about the safeguard application and initiation of preliminary.

She requested that Ilongwo be remanded in jail pending the endorsement of his safeguard application.