The Ilorin-based clergyman, Prophet Adeniyi James, of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Freedom City Prophetic and Deliverance Ministry, has been apprehended by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly defrauding a church member of N3.9 million,Daily Trust reports.
According to Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s head of media and publicity in Ilorin, James was arrested by the Ilorin zonal command on April 2 in connection with the reported offense.
The victim, Oluwole Babarinsa, alleged in a petition to the commission that James singled him out during a church service in 2021, claiming to have had a divine revelation predicting the victim’s journey abroad.
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Babarinsa recounted that James, during this revelation, inquired about his desired destination, to which he replied ‘Canada.’ Subsequently, they agreed to discuss further arrangements later.
Following this, James informed Babarinsa of a friend in Lagos who could assist with the relocation process to Canada, requiring a sum of N1.7 million for facilitation and N2.5 million for flight ticket and travel documents processing.
Babarinsa disclosed that in order to raise the total sum of N3,980,000, he had to sell some of his assets and acquire loans, which he then handed over to James for the purported relocation services.
However, despite repeated attempts to follow up and the absence of any tangible progress, Babarinsa’s requests for a refund were unheeded by the suspect.
The EFCC spokesperson indicated that following the conclusion of investigations, the suspect would be arraigned in court.
