The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has commended the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, for returning a multi-billion naira donation to the church after it was found to be the proceeds of crime.
Olukoyede disclosed this on Saturday while speaking to RCCG workers at a pre-Holy Ghost Congress meeting.
The EFCC chairman had been invited by Adeboye to address the workers on financial accountability, according to Church Times Nigeria.
Olukoyede said a church member had given billions of naira towards one of the church’s projects, but the commission’s investigations showed that the funds were linked to financial crime.
He said that once the church was informed, Adeboye ordered that the money be refunded within 24 hours. The EFCC boss did not name the donor, the project or the amount involved.
Olukoyede, a pastor himself, lamented the growing involvement of church leaders in financial crimes and controversies over church project contracts.
He urged church officials to investigate the source of donations and reject funds of questionable origin.
He also spoke of another church allegedly linked to a Ponzi scheme, whose leader, he said, initially resisted the EFCC but later refunded a large sum when the commission threatened to go to court.
The EFCC chairman warned that religious status would not shield anyone from prosecution.
Olukoyede further cautioned against materialism, rivalry and power struggles in churches and raised concerns over reports that some people paid bribes to secure leadership positions in the RCCG.
In his reaction, Adeboye assured that the RCCG would not cover up for anyone involved in financial misconduct.
He charged the church’s pastors to keep proper financial records and avoid corruption.
