The Federal High Court in Jos heard on Tuesday how Bishop Katung Jonas and Okewole Dayo allegedly used church sermons to lure over 44,000 Nigerians into a N178 million fraud scheme.
Testifying before Justice Sharon T. Ishaya, the first prosecution witness, Sulaiman Kwalla, said he and his wife invested in Covenant Fadama Multi-purpose Cooperative Society after watching Bishop Jonas’ sermons and adverts on Plateau Radio Television Corporation.
“Based on the Bishop’s religious standing and the promise of a 10 percent monthly return, I was convinced it was a genuine investment,” Kwalla told the court.
He said the couple paid into Dadin Kowa Microfinance Bank and received receipts, but no dividends were paid.
A crowd of angry investors gathered at the cooperative’s Jos office on June 4, 2012, prompting police intervention and Dayo’s arrest.
Kwalla added that Bishop Jonas later proposed new recovery schemes, all of which failed.
Though Kwalla got back his N200,000, his wife’s N100,000 remains unpaid. The EFCC is prosecuting both men on 23 fraud-related counts.