Court discharges fake pastor charged with fraud

An Oshodi Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Monday discharged a fake pastor, Obinna Obi, charged with N820, 000 fraud.

The Magistrate, Mr Akeem Fashola struck out the case for what he called lack of diligent prosecution.

“The complainant in this case has refused to show up and the court is not a warehouse where cases are kept without making any significant progress.

“The case is hereby struck out,’’ he ruled.

Obi, 46, who resides at No. 4, Ogunseye St., Idimu, Lagos, was first arraigned on Feb. 8 on a two-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretense.

He was accused of allegedly obtaining N820, 000 from one Miss Delight Onyekachi, 32, a trader, under the pretext of praying for her over a spiritual challenge being experienced.

The prosecutor, Kehinde Olatunde had told the court that the accused committed the offence on Dec. 12, 2012, at No 1, Omoguwa St., Oshodi, Lagos.

He said that the accused and one other at large, conspired to defraud the complainant.

“The accused approached the complainant and told her that God had revealed her problem to him and had sent him to save her life.


“He narrated all the problems the complainant had encountered and told her that God told him to ask her to withdraw money from her bank and gave it to him to buy necessary items to use to deliver her from her problems.

“The complainant was convinced because she was actually going through those challenges and withdrew the money for him.

“After the accused collected the money, he disappeared and all efforts made to trace or retrieve the money proved abortive,” he said.

Olatunde said that when apprehended the accused confessed to the police that it was Ejike Lambert now at large, a member of the same church with the complainant, who conceived the scheme to dupe her.

The prosecutor said that the offences contravened Sections 312 and 410 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Section 312 provides a penalty of 15 years jail term for fraud.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that at arraignment, Obi had pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties. (NAN)

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