Federal High Court Remands Pastor In Prison For N23m Fraud

Justice I. M. Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in PortHarcourt, Rivers State, has ordered that Mercy Daniel Ogbonaya, a pastor, be remanded at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre for obtaining N23m by false pretences.

The defendant was arraigned by the Port Harcourt Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on one count charge.

The charge reads: “That you, Mercy Daniela Ogbonnaya sometimes between 7th September 2018 and 8th February 2019, N23,042,000 from Mrs Nyingierefaa Maxwell and Mrs Macba Iniene Richard under the false pretence of business proposals of purchase of Yoghurt from Aba, supply of provisions to the Genesis Group of Companies and supply of wires to Globalcom Communications Company.”

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to her. Justice Sani granted the defendant bail in the sum of N5,000,000 and one surety within the jurisdiction of the Court.