Skip to main content

Pastors currently serving 17 years for fraud, bag another 26 years in jail

Justice FN Azinge of the Delta State High Court sitting in Otor-Udu has convicted and sentenced the duo of Pastor Glory Okeoghene Aberefa and Reverend Vincent Okpogo to another 16 and 10 years imprisonment, respectively.

The convicts, alongside their company, Mustard Seed Micro Investment Limited, were prosecuted by the Benin Zonal Office of the EFCC, on 16-count charges, bordering on conspiracy to steal and stealing, contrary to Section 516 and 390 (9) of the Criminal Code, CAP 21, Vol 1, Laws of Delta State of Nigeria, 2006.

They pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, upon their arraignment on June 19, 2017. Their trial by the EFCC legal team of V. O. Agbaje and K. U. Udus followed a petition and investigation which fingered them in the stealing of the sum of N32,516,620.00.

The first defendant, Pastor Aberefa was sentenced to one year imprisonment on each of the 16 counts, while the second defendant, Reverend Okpogo was sentenced to one year imprisonment each on count seven to 16, all of which run consecutively.

It would be recalled that the convicts, who are already serving terms in prison, having been earlier jailed 17 years by both the Federal High Court, Asaba and Delta State High Court, Warri, in Delta State, would serve a new sentence, which Justice Azinge said would take effect after they have completed the extant 17 years imprisonment.

Trouble started for the convicts, when under the guise of running a finance company, defrauded dozens of unsuspecting members of the public of millions of naira, through their fraudulent Mustard Seed Micro Investment Limited. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Billionaire Game of Thrones games tycoon and Netflix producer, Lin Qi, dies at 39 after allegedly being poisoned by a co-worker amid fights among his company's executives'

Lin Qi, chairman and CEO of the Chinese entertainment company Yoozoo Group and a producer on Netflix's upcoming series   The Three-Body Problem , has died after he was allegedly poisoned by a co-worker amid fights among his company's executives'   His company, Yoozoo Group confirmed that Lin died on Christmas Day after having been hospitalized about a week earlier. He was 39.   Police in Shanghai are currently investigating his death, and have reportedly arrested a suspect only named Xu, who Chinese media outlets have identified as Lin's colleague at Yoozoo, Xu Yao.    Local reports also allege that a dispute among Yoozoo executives led to Lin's death after he was allegdlly poisoned via aged pu’er tea.   The China Economic Weekly, a magazine with ties to the People’s Daily, mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, said that Xu is suspected of having poisoned Lin due to “work disputes” that resulted in the former’s salary being cut. He may have adminis...

Nigerian footballer, Kelvin Odenigbo, drowns in Belarus lake

A Nigerian footballer, Kelvin Odenigbo, playing for FC Vitebsk in Belarus, has been found dead after drowning in a lake. Announcing his passing, the Belarusian Premier League club in a statement released, said the corpse of the 20-year-old striker was found on Saturday, June 5 by the lake Beloye, a tourist destination in the Vitebsk region. “We express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the football player. The football club Vitebsk reports that on June 5, 2021, on the lake Beloye, in the area of the tourist base Verasy, OSVOD employees found the drowned Kelvin Odenigbo. We will publish all official information as it becomes available. We express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the football player, as well as to all the fans of the team,” the statement read Odenigbo joined the club on loan from NAF Rockets FC, the Nigerian National League side, at the end of last season before making the switch permanent for the 11-match-old 2021/22 se...

Boko Haram throws Maiduguri into darkness again, blows up power tower.

Barely 72 hours after electric power was restored in Maiduguri, Borno State, Boko Haram insurgents on Saturday, March 27,  blew up another transmission tower in the city. Premium Times reports that the insurgents planted explosives on each leg of the tower, which they detonated at about 6 a.m. In January, the terrorists struck power installations thrice at a location about 50km from Maiduguri to keep the city in the dark. The power, was however, restored on Wednesday, March 24, after nearly two months of blackout. While reconnecting the installation, three TCN officials were severely injured by a landmine planted by the insurgents. Another official was said to have lost his life after falling off a tower. The city has now been thrown into another darkness following the Saturday morning attack.