ISREAL OLADELE GENESIS DEFRAUDED ME OF N17M, WOMAN TELLS COURT

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A LONDON-BASED architect and principal witness, Mrs. Oladele Williams-Oni, yesterday told an Ikeja High Court how she was allegedly defrauded of over N17 million by the Shepherd-in-Charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Genesis Parish, Alagbado, Lagos and popular tele-evangelist, Prophet Israel Oladele Ogundipe popularly knows as genesis global

Oni alleged that after defrauding her, Oladele Ogundipe also attempted to blackmail her into forfeiting all her landed property in his custody.

The witness said she first met the accused person in 2002 during her visit to Nigeria when she was taken to his church for prayers by her half-sister, Mrs. Ogungbemi.

‘He told me something about my husband in one of his prophecies that I should not have anything jointly with him because he was having an affair behind me. He gave me a liquid to drink and I started vomiting. I was asked to sit down and he lit a candle and said I should be there until the candle-light goes off’, she said.

Williams-Oni also alleged that she was later taken by the prophet in the company of her half-sister and cousin to a bush in the Sango Ota area of Ogun State where she was bathed with some concoction.

She told the court, presided over by Justice Olabisi Akinlade, that she entrusted the accused person with her money to procure some landed property on her behalf because she thought he was a ‘good pastor’.

According to Williams-Oni, on her return to London, Ola-Ogundipe called her and advised her to invest in landed property in Lagos, advice she heeded after consultation with some persons.

Williams-Oni said she sent money to Ola-Ogundipe in five installments of N900,000, N2.5 million, N8.5 million, N2.7 million and 12,000 pounds sterling between 2002 and 2005 to purchase the property on her behalf.

She alleged that after collecting the money, the prophet converted some of the said property for his personal use and refused to refund the money for the others.

‘When I confronted him about this, he started threatening my life and blackmailing me. He was saying that I had a son for him, which became an embarrassment to my family’, she claimed.

Williams-Oni told the court that the issue nearly ruined her 16-year-old marriage, adding that it was only resolved when the said child was made to undergo a paternity test, which refuted his claims.

This, according to Williams-Oni, made her write a petition to the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) Unit of the Lagos State Police Command before the case was transferred to the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the command.

Ola-Ogundipe is facing a six-count charge, which includes forgery and collecting money by false pretense, to which he pleaded not guilty.

The matter has been adjourned till April 8 for the continuation of the trial.

CREDIT: THE NIGERIAN VOICE.