Senior Pastor Jailed For Defrauding Church Elder Of N2.5m

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

The Senior Pastor of the Apostolic Christian Church Mission, ACCM, Gowon Estate, Lagos, Rev. Emmanuel Onwukwe has been handed four year imprisonment without an option of fine for defrauding his church member, Elder Samuel Amanze to the tune of N2.5million.

The fraud that eventually confined Pastor Onwukwe to prison happened at the church located at Bless Jah Street Gowon Estate in Iyana Ipaja area where the convict was the resident pastor.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that after the fraud was committed in 2010, the church quickly moved Onwukwe out of Lagos to its branch at Osusu Amakwa area close to Ogbo hill in Aba City, Abia State as the Resident Pastor.

However, the long arm of the law  brought him to Lagos where he faced trial until he was jailed.

He was found guilty of conspiracy and fraud and sentenced accordingly before the Ogba Magistrates court presided by the senior Magistrate, Mr G.O. Ogunkanmi.

The matter which started on 19th January 2010 ended on Thursday 10th November 2017, after the court passed judgment and found Onwukwe guilty for obtaining under false pretence.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that Onwukwe’s journey to prison started when he brought one fugitive, Chief Mike Williams to the church and introduced him to the members of the church as a businessman and asked the members to commit their money to him.

It was gathered that some of the church members including Amanze committed their money to Williams who bolted away with their money.

The members went to Pastor Onwukwe who lived with Williams in the church’s pastors’ residence before the fraud, but he denied knowing Williams. The church then asked Onwukwe to provide Williams but he refused.

Following the scam in the church, a legal practitioner, Barrister Chidozie Nnaji wrote a petition to the police at Area G Command, Ogba on behalf of Nwanze,  and the police arrested Onwukwe and charged him to court for conspiracy and fraud.

The prosecutor, Mr. Feddy Asu proved the allegation against Onwukwe beyond reasonable doubt and asked the court to find him guilty and jail him accordingly to serve as deterrent to others who might try such.

The court found him guilty of conspiracy and obtaining under false pretence and sentenced him accordingly. The court however ruled that the sentence will run concurrently, in other words Onwukwe will be spending the next two years in prison custody at Kirikiri, Lagos.

When P.M.EXPRESS contacted the victim, Amanze, he expressed satisfaction over the trial and judgment and noted that it took a few tortuous years to get justice. He said Onwukwe frustrated his plans because it was all the money he was paid after retirement that Onwukwe defrauded him despite the fact two of them came from the same town in Isiala Ngwa in Abia State.