Court Jails Church Accountant 18 Years For Fraud

January 13, 2020

An Adamawa State High Court in Yola on Monday convicted and sentenced the Accountant of the Church of Brethren in Nigeria, Ibrahim Aku, to 18 years imprisonment for defrauding the church of N15.5 million.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) had accused Aku of defrauding the church of N15.5 million between 2016 and 2018.

The money, the anti-graft agency claimed, was generated by the church members through offerings, donations and tithes.

Aku had pleaded guilty to all the six-count charge of forgery and obtaining money by false pretense brought against him by the Commission.

Delivering judgment on the case on Monday, the trial judge, Justice Nathan Musa, convicted Aku on all the counts.

Justice Musa jailed the convict without an option of fine.

The judge also ordered the convict to pay back the money as restitution to the church.

He equally ordered that the proceeds of the crime recovered in the course of investigation be sold by appointing valuers to sale and remit same to the church.

Inbhis reaction to the judgment, Bello Bajoga, the head Public Affairs Department of the EFCC in Adamawa State, said the judgment was “ justified”.

“The convict was entrusted with church money and he ended up diverting the money and forged tellers and presented same as genuine, to serve as evidence of payment of the remittance,” Bajoga said.