Tobias Sylvester
Prophet Israel Oladele Ogundipe of Celestial Church of Christ Global Genesis Parish, has been sentenced to two years imprisonment by a Lagos State High Court for defrauding a UK-based woman, Mrs Olaide Williams-Oni, to the tune of N17 million.
Ogundipe, who has been on trial since 2011, was charged with seven counts of obtaining by stealing, inducing delivery of money by false pretences, unlawful conversion of property and forgery.
In her testimony, Williams-Oni had told the court that she met the prophet in 2002 during her visit to Nigeria when she was taken to his church for prayers by her step-sister.
“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 my back.
“He gave me a liquid to drink and I started vomiting. I was asked to sit down and he lighted a candle and said I should be there until the candle goes off.
“He then took me, my step-sister and cousin to a bush in Sango Ota area of Ogun State, where he bathed with me with some concoctions near a river.”
Williams-Oni said she sent money to Oladele in five instalments of N900,000, N2.5 million, N8.5 million, N2.7 million and 12,000 pound 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.
Following her testimony, the presiding judge, Justice Olabisi Akinlade, found the clergyman guilty of two of the seven charges brought against him and dismissed the remaining five over lack of evidence.
In a judgment that lasted for about four hours, Justice Akinlade sentenced Prophet Oladele to a year imprisonment on count two and four (2-years).
The judge also ordered that the defendant should pay the complainant the sum of N11 million, which he illegally obtained from her.
KanyiDaily had reported how a 70-year-old man, who insulted President Muhammadu Buhari on social media, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment after his family was killed by bandits in Katsina State.
