Delta State High Court reportedly sentenced two Nigerian pastors to 7 years in jail over stealing N32million of depositors’ funds.
According to the statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the sentence was delivered December 10 in Warri in relation to Pastor Glory Okeoghene Abrefera and Reverend Vincent Okpogu.
The two were found guilty of deceiving unsuspecting members of the public into investing in Mustard Seed Micro Investment Limited, a wonder bank.
It is worth mentioning that the convicted clergymen are currently serving the 10-year term for illegal banking and will serve the new 7-year term after completing the previous one.
Abrefera and Okpogu received their first term in January, 2013 for operating the said wonder bank.
After the Wednesday sentence, they are still not done with the law. The prosecutor, Mr. G. K. Latona, said that the convicts are to answer to other charges at Otor-Udu High Court for related offences.
Unfortunately, the number of crimes by those acting as if they were the men of God is on the rise in the country. Apparently, this form of crime is preferred by some fraudsters because people trust the clerics and thus it is easier to persuade them into voluntary giving their money.
While robbery is hardly associated with the way of serving God, it was somehow questioned by a pastor arrested in October in Lagos.
The clergyman and other members of the gang allegedly hijacked and diverted the trucks with goods worth more than N25m. Speaking about his motives, the 56-year-old said he needed money to expand his church, “to build a house for God”.
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