12 Nigerian religious figures linked to fraud cases involving millions

• Some Nigerian pastors and Islamic clerics have faced fraud cases involving millions of naira.

• Several religious figures were convicted and sentenced, while others are still facing allegations in court.

• The cases range from fake spiritual claims to property deals and faith-linked investment schemes.

On September 23, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman Ola Olukoyede told the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) in Abuja that pastors, imams, bishops and other religious figures feature in the commission’s financial-crime case files. 

He said some had been convicted and imprisoned but continued to be addressed by their religious titles even behind bars.

For many Nigerians, a pastor, prophet, imam or Islamic cleric can become more than a spiritual guide. They can be the person a follower turns to when a business is failing, money is tight, a marriage is in trouble or life feels uncertain. And that trust can sometimes extend to their finances.

But when religious authority is combined with financial desperation and little accountability, the consequences can be serious.

Olukoyede’s comments provide a timely backdrop to the cases of Nigerian religious figures who have been convicted, prosecuted, arrested or accused in financial-crime cases involving millions of naira.

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Pastor Godswill Oyor, founder of Zedekiah Money Train, was accused by investors of failing to return their capital and promised returns after they put millions of naira into investment packages linked to the platform. 

FIJ reported that investors were promised returns of up to 21% within 90 days, while PUNCH documented complaints from investors who said millions of naira remained stuck after the scheme stopped paying returns.

Oyor was reportedly arrested by police in early 2023 following complaints from investors. 

Another faith-linked investment case involves Bishop Katung Jonas in Plateau State.

The EFCC accused Jonas and his associate, Okewole Dayo, of using Covenant Fadama Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society to obtain about ₦178.9 million from investors.

A prosecution witness told the Federal High Court in Jos in 2025 that he became interested in the cooperative after watching Jonas preach about it on television.

Godwin Ajuluchukwucheya, popularly known as Prophet Sunday Koboko, is one of the most recent cases.

The Enugu State High Court convicted him in July 2026 after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuted him for obtaining money by false pretence and stealing.

According to the EFCC, Ajuluchukwucheya lured church members into giving him money through claims involving prosperity, a supposed lottery win and business opportunities.

He was convicted of stealing over ₦136.4 million and sentenced to one year in prison.

In June 2025, two self-described Islamic clerics, Saheed Atanda Aremu and Tolani Osuolale, were arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos over allegations involving $200,000, reported at the time as about ₦280 million.

Prosecutors alleged that they persuaded a medical doctor to hand over the money after telling him it needed to be spiritually “fortified” before it could safely be used to buy property.

Israel Oladele Ogundipe, a senior cleric of the Celestial Church of Christ, was convicted in Lagos in 2020.

The case involved a UK-based woman who accused him of obtaining money from her for property-related purposes.

He was convicted on two counts and sentenced to two years in prison, with the court also ordering restitution.

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In another Lagos case, church leaders Harry Uyanwanne and Oluwakemi Odemuyiwa were convicted over a ₦52 million fraud case involving Temple International Church.

The court sentenced them to prison and ordered the closure and deregistration of the church.

Ayodeji Ibrahim Oluokun, identified as an assistant pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God's City of David Parish, was convicted in a case involving $1.6 million in dud cheques connected to an oil-and-gas transaction.

This shows that not every fraud case involving a religious figure concerns donations, spiritual services or church investments.

In 2019, the Lagos Special Offences Court sentenced Muslim cleric Ganiu Awojobi to two years in prison after he pleaded guilty to stealing and obtaining money by false pretences.

The EFCC said the case involved ₦71 million obtained from US-based Nigerian businesswoman Oluwatoyin Akinwole in a scheme involving claims about special prayers and an oil business. 

The EFCC prosecuted Umaru Isma'il, a Sokoto-based alifa. The agency said he told a man that special prayers could make him wealthy and subsequently collected ₦668,000 from him.

He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison, with the court ordering restitution to the victim.

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Islamic cleric Taiye Gasali was convicted by a Lagos magistrates' court in 2018 over ₦4.2 million.

According to PUNCH, the money represented proceeds from sales at a filling station and had been handed to Gasali for spiritual prayers. He was sentenced to six years in prison.

In 2023, police arrested Islamic cleric Afeez Uthman Imole Ayo after a follower allegedly accused him of collecting ₦150 million over several years.

Police said Ayo acknowledged receiving ₦105 million while denying the broader allegations against him.

The case involved extraordinary claims about the alleged manipulation of the victim's family and property. 

The EFCC alleges that investors were promised returns of up to 10% monthly and that the funds were diverted to personal and proxy accounts. The case remains before the court. 

Pastor Cletus Ilongwo, the presiding pastor of Power of the Holy Ghost Evangelical Ministry, was convicted in Lagos over a case involving ₦59.7 million.

The EFCC said he collected the money from a former church member under the pretext of helping him acquire property. Ilongwo was sentenced to seven years in prison.