Police arraign pastor for allegedly defrauding church member

The Pastor of Christ Citizen Glorious
Assembly, Okota, Lagos, Pastor
Ikechukwu Ezeiru, has been charged
with fraud at an Ebute Meta Chief
Magistrate's Court.
He was arraigned on Tuesday for
allegedly defrauding a church member,
Ifeanyi Ohazurume, of N7m.
The police said Ezeiru collected the
money to help the defendant purchase
auction goods from the Nigerian
Customs Service.
He allegedly didn't return the money or
the goods.
It was learnt that the pastor claimed to
have given the money to his wife, who
equally claimed to have passed it to
someone else.
He was arraigned on three counts of
obtaining under false pretences and
stealing.
The charge reads in part, "That you,
Pastor Ikechukwu Ezeiru, and others at
large, sometime in the month of
February, 2012, at about 10.00hours at
First Bank Plc, Okota branch, Lagos, in
the Lagos Magisterial District, did
conspire to commit felony to wit:
obtaining property by false pretences
and stealing.
"That you on the same date, time and
place in the aforesaid magisterial
district, did obtain the sum of N7m from
one Ifeanyi Ohazurume, under the
pretext that you are in position to help
him buy auction goods from Nigerian
Customs Service, a representation you
knew to be false."
The police prosecutor, George Nwosu,
who represented the resident
prosecutor, DSP Etim Ekankuk, said the
offences were punishable under sections
409 and 312 of the Criminal Law of
Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the
charge and elected summary trial.
The defence counsel, Razak Adeyemi,
applied for his bail in liberal terms.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Demi Ajayi,
admitted the defendant to bail in the
sum of N500,000 with two sureties in
like sum.
The matter was adjourned till April 16,
2014.