Archbishop Sold Invisible Land for N7 Million in Lagos

A self-
acclaimed
archbishop,
John Okeke,
59, was,
Tuesday,
brought before
a Lagos High
Court in
Igbosere for
allegedly
selling a land
worth N7
million belonging to someone else.
Okeke, founder of God's Pentecostal Ministry World
Wide, Iba, Lagos was charged by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a nine-
count bordering on stealing, forgery and
impersonation.
At the resumed hearing, EFCC counsel, A.M. Ocholi,
told the court that the trial could not go on due to
absence of a witness (one Nurudeen Bello) who
took his two-month-old baby to the hospital
following complications.
Responding, the defendant's counsel, U.C. Ikebulu,
argued that the prosecution had nine witnesses,
and could have called another witness since they
could not go on with Nurudeen (witness).
The presiding judge, Justice Aishat Opesanwo, after
listening to both counsel, adjourned the case to
February 8, 2014 to enable the prosecution
produce its witnesses.
It will be recalled that a businessman, Ignatius
Ozorumba, had on January 31, 2013 told a Lagos
High Court in Ikeja how the archbishop (defendant)
allegedly stole his land worth N7 million.
Testifying in the case, Ozorumba, who was led in
evidence by EFCC counsel, Mrs Atinuke Daramola,
said he was a former member of the defendant's
church.
He said sometime in 2005, Okeke informed him
that the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) had
instructed all persons allocated plots of land in
FestacTown to pay their land rents.
Ozorumba, who is the director of Immortal Impex
Limited, said he asked the archbishop to help him
process the payment so that the land would not be
revoked.
The witness said:"I gave him N200,000 to help me
pay eight years rent at a cost of N25,000 per year,
for my land known as "Plot H1", located on 2nd
Avenue, FestacTown, Lagos.
"I also gave him photocopies of the Title Deed and
other relevant documents to facilitate the process."
Ozorumba explained that the defendant later told
him to bring the original documents for "sighting"
purposes by the authorities of the FHA and he
complied.
According to him, after the defendant took the
documents, he failed to return them, claiming that
they were in the custody of the FHA. He later
discovered that the defendant had sold the
property to the trustees of Mainland Motorcycle
and Spare Parts Dealers Association for the sum of
N7million.
Ozorumba alleged that the archbishop had forged
documents, including a change of ownership form
purportedly issued by the FHA, to facilitate the
transaction.
The witness further alleged that the defendant
misled the buyers that he was the original owner of
the property and had sold it since September 2005.
He said this led to a dispute between himself and
the archbishop which prompted him to petition the
EFCC.
Source: Vanguard
Sent From David Aniemeka